


Operation: NECSUS

by Gamewizard2008



Series: Kids Next Door Gameverse [27]
Category: Codename: Kids Next Door, Futurama, One Piece, Ratchet & Clank
Genre: Action, Adventure, F/M, Friendship, GKND, Galactic Kids Next Door, Sci-Fi, Stars, space
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-01
Updated: 2018-02-26
Packaged: 2018-10-23 12:38:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 29
Words: 193,700
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10719501
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gamewizard2008/pseuds/Gamewizard2008
Summary: MyKND/Ratchet & Clank/Futuramamulti-crossover, the 6th story of the Big Mom Saga,Operation: NECSUS. Also called theInto the Nexus Arc. While New GKND is celebrating its 3rd anniversary, Galaxia has elected its new Chancellor, Percival Tachyon. On his orders, GKND is shut down, and KNDs are banned across the universe. Supreme GKND Leader, Nebula D. Winkiebottom, must go on a journey to save her organization and stop the evil dictator from whatever it is he's planning.See the original story here. https://www.fanfiction.net/s/10152299/1/Operation-NECSUS





	1. The War on Zathura

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Over a million years ago, the Zathurians were at war with the Cragmites. They used a dangerous weapon to end the war once and for all.

**Yokaaaay! Time to begin the big story of the Big Mom Saga! Will it be as good as _MASKED_? MmmmMAYBE not! But let’s get started anyway. ;) Heeeere we go!**

**_Chapter 1: The War on Zathura_ **

_The biggest mistake the gods ever made was granting mortals the power of the elements. At least… that’s what some say. Others call it a blessing; a chance for mortals to fend for themselves. Either way, all things have their light and dark sides. But in some cases… one or the other could have drastic results. Some powers are just too strong to be put in the hands of mortals. Time and Space are two of those powers. That is why, only a choice select few were to be allowed to wield them. But one god made a fatal mistake… and war ensued._

Planet Zathura. A realm of darkness, adrift in the very center of a black hole. A bloody war was taking place on the barren fields of this planet. The darkness that loomed in the heavens paled in comparison. The Cragmites; insect-like creatures with armor and weapons, clashed against the Zathurians; humanoid beings with black-and-white skin. The Zathurians tossed cards onto the field, which emerged into various types of creatures, but they didn’t prevail as the Cragmites sliced and stabbed them all, and afterwards leaving the Zathurians a bloody mess.

A squad of Zathurian soldiers hurried to their captain atop a fortress wall. “Sir! The Cragmites have broken through the first line! They’ve outnumbered us!”

“Grrrr!” the captain growled. “What’s taking them so long? Why haven’t they brought the WEAPON?!”

**On a floating station in space**

Two Zathurians, a man and a woman, stood before a huge computer. They wore concerned looks as the computer projected images of the war, and their comrades falling to the Cragmites’ power. “Are you-a sure?...” the male Zathurian, Blumeré asked in an Italian accent.

 _“With the Cragmites’ resources, it will not be long until your clan is finished, and the power falls to their hands.”_ The computer spoke in a feminine voice. _“Their numbers are far too much for you to vanquish. The only possible way, is to banish them.”_

Right away, a group of Zoni – small, black aliens with blue eyes – floated down, holding a mechanical helmet. _“Send them away. Or else be destroyed.”_ They said in unison.

“But… I thought we vowed-a not to use this.” Blumeré said. “Its power over space was too strong…”

“Our children possess even _stronger_ power…” The woman, Nosteré spoke. “A power that can-a be used to destroy the universe. We must use the Dimensionator to destroy them.”

“But-a… if we do… will our children be able to come home?”

 _“No…”_ the computer replied. _“Other forces seek to control the incomprehensible powers of space. Your children must remain… where they are.”_

“But, we-a sent them to a _circus_.” Blumeré mentioned. “How exactly is that-“

_“Do not question IRIS Supercomputer!!”_

“Okay, okay! …” The couple stared at the helmet device with worry. “Well… I guess it’s-a time.”

“Yes… let’s go.”

**Zathura**

The fighting continued as the two landed back on the planet. The couple hurried onto the wall where the captain waited. “There you are! Commander Winkiebottom, where have you been?!” he demanded.

“Captain, I’ve asked you a hundred times to refer me by my _first_ name.” The man said, embarrassed. “It just doesn’t sound… _right_ , next to Commander. Anyway, calm down, I’ve brought the Dimensionator right here.” He presented the helmet.

“Good, then use it! It may only be a matter of days before the Cragmites reach the town.”

They nodded as Blumeré said, “Order all the troops to the fifth lines, we’ll-a handle this.” They hurried down onto the battlefield, throwing out cards to unleash elephant monsters and trample incoming Cragmites.

“ALL TROOPS!!” The captain bellowed. “Cease fire and move to the fifth defenses! RETREAT!!”

“Ha ha ha ha!” a Cragmite laughed as Zathurians were already pulling back. “These spineless wimps, they’ve learned that we’re just too much! Everyone, KEEP moving forward!”

**Beyond the battlegrounds; nearby town**

“…So… you’re leaving, huh?” A young Zathurian boy asked his twin sister, his back turned.

“Yes…” the sister replied seriously, her long hair blowing in the breeze. “I’m tired of the way the adults treat us. I finally have a means to take a stand. You’re welcome to join me… you know.”

“Hmmm… so cries you, like a golden-haired princess awaiting her lower-class lover. I think I shall choose to remain here. Just watch me… Dimentia.” The boy turned with a cool smile to his sister, his black eye glinting. “When my name reaches your ears again… I shall shine… even brighter than Jirachi.”

“Hm… if you became an adult… I would have to hate you, too.” Dimentia glared. “Good-bye… Dimentio.”

The brother turned back around, his sister’s footsteps fading. Dimentio only smiled warmly, viewing the war in the distance.

**Back at the battle site**

Blumeré and Nosteré rode atop a giant, alien mammoth, trampling more Cragmites. The woman clutched her husband’s arm tight, her fear growing worse. The mammoth cried and leapt forward, slamming the ground and smashing the Cragmites underneath, while the surrounding ones were blown back. The mammoth suddenly vanished in a puff of smoke, having returned to his card as the couple landed. As Blumeré was fixing the helmet on his head, a lone Cragmite took aim at them with a bow and arrow.

“AHH!” Nosteré was struck in the right-side chest with an arrow, and her husband gasped as she fell. He shook it off, remembering the mission, and quickly fixed the helmet on.

“Dimensionator: Banish them… to-a Dimension _D!!_ ”

The helmet sparked to life, creating an enormous black hole that expanded for miles. All of the surrounding Cragmites turned and gaped horrendously, feeling the winds pushing them toward the void. They struggled desperately to fight the force, but their efforts proved fatal. In only seconds, the entire Cragmite swarm was swirling in the vortex, and gone in an instant.

**IRIS Supercomputer**

The Dimensionator floated in place as the Zoni surrounded it. _“With the powers their children possess… their existence proves great danger to the planet.”_ IRIS said.

 _“Other forces will try to get them.”_ The Zoni said. _“Zathura… must be sealed.”_

_“Yes… it must. For the sake of the balance… the Dimensionator… must go, too.”_

The Zoni combined their strengths, and the black hole that was Zathura shrunk down to nothing. They never noticed that one of the children in question had already left. And she wasn’t the only thing that escaped from Zathura. A lone egg was ejected out of the planet’s atmosphere… just before the Cragmites’ end.

**Now loading…  
Kids Next Door mission…**

**Operation:  
N.E.C.S.U.S.**

**New  
** Emperor  
Crazily  
Seeks  
Ultimate  
Spaceruption 

**Loading transmission…**


	2. Galactic Anniversary

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nebula brings the Kid Council members together to celebrate the 3rd anniversary of New GKND! At the same time, a graduation ceremony takes place on Moonbase, welcoming new operatives. Meanwhile, an election takes place on Coruscant for the office of Chancellor...

**Hello, everyone, welcome back! I hope you all like politics… ‘cause I sure don’t. X/**

**_Chapter 2: Galactic Anniversary_ **

**KND Moonbase**

The audience chamber was packed to the brim with Kids Next Door operatives from all around. Today was a very special day, a day that happens only a few times each year. It was time to introduce brand new operatives to the KND. The newly graduated cadets lined up on the stage, very eager to sign their contract. They all looked pretty normal… except one particular girl stood about 15 feet tall or so. She was quite massive.

Zach and Maddy stood guard on the stage, and the latter looked quite glad that this giant girl was standing there. Sectors V and W7 stood in the very front, looking just as happy for this girl. Among the audience, many sectors gathered, curious if new members would be added to their teams. Sector IC looked casually (with Terry and Miyuki having frowns as usual), but the 5 felt excited deep down. Sector DR sat in one of the higher rows, with each member minding their own business, while Doflamingo Jr. sat kicked back in his chair, baring his cool look. This sector seemed to have their eye on a particular aquamarine-haired girl, probably hoping she’ll join their group.

Finally, Supreme Leader Numbuh 3621 stepped up on stage and approached the podium microphone. “Boys and girls, as Kids Next Door Supreme Leader, I’m proud to introduce this year’s first line of Cadet Next Door graduates!”

_“YAAAAAAAHHHH!”_

“The routine’s the same as every year: our graduates will insert their data into the KND Code Module, choose a numbuh, and the Sooper Big Computermabob will determine a sector of which to appoint them! The first on our list, hailing from Japan, it’s MOCHAAAA…” Cheren squinted at the paper, “um… there appears to be a smudge on the last name… ahem, COME on up!” The operatives roared with cheers as the giant girl with black, messy hair stepped up to the podium. “Recommended by Sector V and our Decommissioning Troupe for her heroic actions in the recent Punk Hazard Kidnapping. Mocha, you may proceed!”

“Mm-hm!” The giant nodded, and with pure confidence, she stuck her pinky up her nose and extracted a huge booger. She knelt down to insert it in the Code Module, but frowned seeing the device was much too tiny for it to fit. “Um…”

“Heheh, let me get that.” Cheren offered as he scooped part of the booger in his own finger; baring a disgusted look as he did so. He stuck the booger into the module, and the Sooper Computer began beeping.

_“Data for operative: Mocha received. Please: choose a numbuh.”_

“Ummmm…” The giant girl tapped her chin, then smiled upon reaching a decision. “I choose the codename, Numbuh 7-Feet Tall!”

“You’re a little bigger than THAT!” Cheren snickered.

“I know! I just feel more comfortable with the number 7.”

“Heh, well I won’t judge. Anything you’d like to say while it determines your sector?”

“Mmm!” Mocha nodded happily and faced up at the audience. “A lot of you might have a similar story… but, for most of my life, me and my friends were held captive and abused by a terrible man, and we didn’t even know it.” She frowned while remembering this. “If it wasn’t for the Kids Next Door, we all probably would’ve died. …” Her confident smile returned as she declared, “And that’s why, the moment I escaped, I wanted to join the Kids Next Door to stop OTHER kids from sharing the same fate! I wanna save kids from all the bad people who wanna abuse them, so kids can all be FREE!”

“YAAAAAAYYY!”

“And I am also proud, to be the very first GIANT kid to join the Kids Next Door!”

“And very proud to have you!” Cheren exclaimed. “I mean, little people are way too common in the KND.”

_“Data and codename scanned for operative: Numbuh 7-Feet Tall. Sector determined: operative to be stationed in: Sector W7.”_

“YAAAAAAAH!” The aforementioned sector cheered (except April, but she was still happy).

“NEW FRIEEEENNNND!” Chimney screamed.

“Gyom-gyooooom!” Gonbe couldn’t be more excited.

“Heh, I guess we have an agreement then.” Cheren laughed. “Well, go on up and join them!” The girl nodded and happily ran up to her new sector.

“OOLAAAAH now we got SEVEN members!” Chimney cheered as the four girls (but April) ran around Mocha and excitedly jumped and grabbed onto her dress.

“Ha ha ha ha!” Mocha was already having fun with her new friends.

“Up next,” Cheren continued, “all the way from Dressrosa, we have-…”

“Boy, I’m really glad for Mocha.” Haruka smiled. “After all she’s been through, she deserves it.”

“Yeah, but I can’t believe _Maddy_ was the one who recommended her.” Dillon remarked. “I remember back when Fybi was recommended, Maddy suggested they cut her wings off.”

“Fybi did _not_ take that well.” Aurora remembered.

“Ahhh, Sector V!” The team was approached by Panini Drilovsky. “Cheren has another mission for you!”

“Awww, but we just GOT back from a mission!” Dillon whined.

 _“-operative Numbuh Trebol to be stationed in:…”_ the supercomputer continued, but they didn’t pay much attention.

“This one is important: you remember Caesar Clown, right?” Panini asked. 

“Naaaaawww don’t we?” Haruka remarked sarcastically. In the background, Sector DR suddenly cheered, likely having gotten the aquamarine girl.

“Cheren received a call from Nebula: the people of Coruscant are deeming Caesar’s actions an intergalactic offense. Both the Galactic Kids Next Door _and_ the Galactic Council. They’re demanding the GKND hand him to the council to have him court-martialed.”

 _Court-martialed?? You mean they want him to play TENNIS?_ Kirie signed confusedly.

“Sigh, _law_ court, Kirie.” Pan corrected. In the background, Doflamingo Jr. was patting the aquamarine girl’s back in congratulation. “We’re sending Caesar to GKND H.Q. on a prison transport, and Cheren wants you to tag along with them in case they run into trouble. He feels like Caesar’s customers might try to rescue him-”

“ExCUSE me, Nini.” The Irish girl turned as Doflamingo Jr. approached her, his grin cool as always. “But if you ask me, escorting a criminal who possesses knowledge of Bang Gas and metahuman material might be too _dangerous_ for a low-ranked sector like Sector V. For all we know, he might try to _infect_ them, in ways that could drastically alter the mission. Maybe it’d be best if you send me and _my_ sector, since we’re already mutated.”

“For your information, Sector V’s mission success rate has been exceptionally _high_ , regarding the Dracula and Punk Hazard incidents. And since they were the ones who captured Caesar Clown ta begin with, they might know his tricks better. Besides, they have two poisonbenders with them, not to mention two firebenders, so they’re the best choice to escort a single poisonbender. If ya really want ta go with them, you should ask Cheren. ‘Course, he’s rather busy at the moment.”

“In the meantime, we’ll just go on and get this over with.” Aurora figured as they began to walk off. “Later, Doffy.”

“We’ll send you a hologram postcard!” Vanellope joked.

“…” The flamingo boy frowned and looked smug behind his sunglasses.

Meanwhile, while Sector IC was watching the ceremony, MaKayla whispered to George, “Remember, we gotta leave soon as it’s done, our parents wanted us to come home after this.”

“I know, I know.” George sighed in annoyance.

**Planet Coruscant; Galactic Council**

The humongous, dome-shaped building was filling with many alien ships from a variety of different planets. These ships carried many renowned world leaders. In other words, leaders who ruled their respective world, and also some who ruled countries of those worlds. Everybody gathered into the central meeting chamber, an enormous room where the leaders and senators took their seat on circular, floating platforms, surrounding a much larger platform in the center.

On the center platform, two aliens sat in the smaller podiums: a chubby, foxlike man in a black tux, and a smaller, skinny, bug-like alien with centipede legs, a gray shirt, red jacket, and yellow eyes. A tall, brown-skinned human, wearing a black tux and huge sunglasses, stepped up onto the center podium, and spoke professionally in a thick Jamaican accent.

“Fellow Galaxians, welcome to the Galactic Presidential Debate of the Year… um, whatever respective year it is on your planet. Here it is, same-old same-old, where our two candidates will try to present their case on why they should become Galactic Chancellor. Ahem, Nebra Phyronix, Percival Tachyon, if you will?”

“Ahem,” the fox-man, Phyronix, spoke up, “well, Councilman Jeremy, the reason is simple, if I am elected Chancellor-”

“Hey, BUCK UP, thigh-boy, **I** WAS up first!” Percival Tachyon yelled in a high-pitch, nasally voice, throwing his scepter at the fox man. “Ah-he-hem… Fellow Galaxians… I am not going to sit here for hours and tell you why I should be Chancellor… actually, I AM, but… with a particular reason. There is a great problem many of us appear to be ignoring, a terrifying force that threatens the galaxy: the presence of the Galactic Kids Next Door!”

The auditorium filled with the sounds of exasperated moaning. “ _Heeere_ we go again…” a female alien said.

“As you know, the Galactic Kids Next Door is an ever-expanding empire of little hooligans bent on annihilating the forces of adult tyranny. For thousands of millennia, they’ve assimilated many planets to their liking, slowly but surely bringing buhmillions of children to their will. In fact, just recently, the children of Planet Flora has acknowledged their strength, and has formed its own child force based on their idol. HOW does that provide benefit for US, ladies and germs?? As adults, WE are in TERRIBLE danger if we just let this force roam around! Need I remind you of the incredible chaos that was caused by them more than 20 years ago?? And now that they’ve returned, who’s to say they won’t create the same conflict again?? If I am elected Chancellor, it will be my first priority to disable this force and establish a STRICT educational program that will _cure_ them of these petty philosophies!”

“OBJECTION, Senator Tachyon,” Councilman Jeremy proclaimed, “but it was made perfectly clear we’ve reached the agreement, that the Kids Next Door are a harmless force whose only interest is the safety of our cosmos’s children, meaning all things that allow children to be happy, inCLUDING their parents, and has abandoned their focus of extermination of adults everywhere.”

“Is that SO, Mr. Winkiebottom?” Tachyon exclaimed. “Because it has reached my attention that YOU were once part of this organization, and now your DAUGHTER has taken over to carry on your work! Therefore, I testify on the grounds that YOU speak with biased reasoning, and are-”

“AH-HE-HEM.” This time, Phyronix spoke up. “Now then… I am unsure of any relationship our councilman may have with these Galactic Kids… but I must agree with him: the Galactic Kids Next Door have more than proven to be a reputable military force. Until four months ago, Planet Flora has been enduring a dramatic food shortage due to the inevitable war that was occurring between Earth and that crazy nature chick. With the Kids Next Door having attained victory, plant and veggie lovers alike were able to restock on luscious organic material, and Flora has entered a state of peace for the time being. And thanks to these young heroes’ assistance, many intergalactic crimes have been subdued and thwarted, ensuring the safety of our young, _and_ our republic.”

“So are we to entrust the safety of our galaxy to these KIDS?!” Tachyon yelled in anger. “Do you realize what will happen?! EVEN if the Kids Next Door do not wish harm on us, HOW will our own Galactic Force look if they rely on the powers of a bunch of BEDWETTERS?! Invaders from other galaxies will see us as WEAK, and will come to establish DOMINION over us! And will the Kids Next Door come to our aid?? NO!! They DIDN’T help us during the Sith Wars, they WON’T help us NOW! Their only concern is those of their kind, NOT feeble adults! _That’s_ why we need to shut them down, and SHOW the other galaxies OUR SUPREME POWEEEERRR!!” He ragefully banged his podium like a 3-year-old. Once he finished, the senator panted tiredly.

Jeremy looked disbelieved. “…You done?”

“Yes.”

“Then if I may speak,” Phyronix continued, “it is true that the GKND is concerned primarily with the wellbeing of children only. However, such an invasion would very well put the _children_ of our planets in danger, too, wouldn’t it? Therefore, most of our concerns are shared with the Kids Next Door, and that therefore makes us allies in the interest of a common goal. And just as well, it’s undeniable that children need adults, too, so that gives GKND _no_ reason to harm or antagonize us.”

“Oh, _really_?” Tachyon replied smugly. “Well, let’s just bind and gag you to a chair and see if the GKND come to your rescue. You have no proof!”

“ _I_ have proof!” a voice suddenly announced. The audience looked to one of the upper floors, where there stood a familiar adult Irken in a dark-red king’s cloak.

“ _You?_... Tallest Zim?” Tachyon inquired.

“I have firsthand knowledge of the GKND’s good deeds. Take note that it was _my_ people who started the war against childhood. We were the GKND’s sworn enemies… but many of our _own_ adults opposed our plans. It was the Kids Next Door who saved them. They only view adults as evil if they openly commit crimes against childhood. And if it’s for the betterment of kid kind, they will surely come to help. I know Miss King Croacus can clarify that.”

“It’s true!” the Okama flower king exclaimed. “Oo-we-oo-we-oo!”

“Senator Tachyon,” Jeremy spoke professionally again, “I do not know what past trauma has sparked your distrust for GKND, but if you hope to obtain the position as Chancellor, you must set these feelings aside.” Tachyon merely glared at the human. “Do I make myself clear?”

“Hmph… if our planet falls into ruin because I was unprepared, I will not hold blame… but I understand.”

“Good. Now… I’m afraid we must adjourn this meeting. We are scheduled to hold a court trial for a particular criminal, recently captured by Earth’s KND. Let us disband, and meet at the court chamber in one hour.” And the Jamaican man stepped off the platform, followed by Phyronix as all of the rulers piled out of the chamber. Tachyon remained in place and glared spitefully at the man.

**Planet Wisp; Galactic Kid Council H.Q.**

A similar dome-shaped building was stationed on Planet Wisp, and was filling with many alien ships. The audience chamber was made up of alien leaders, the only difference being they were kids. They were the Supreme Leaders of the many intergalactic Kids Next Doors, their second-in-commands, as well as the operatives of GKND. The only one not present was Cheren. Jerome Winkiebottom, Numbuh 250 Trillion, stepped onto the central platform first, followed by the Supreme Leader of Galactic Kids Next Door, Nebula D. Winkiebottom, Numbuh Eternal. The female leader spoke as her voice echoed across the chamber.

“Fellow Galactic Kids Next Door, and members of the Galactic Kid Council, thank you for attending this ceremony, celebrating the 3rd anniversary of our New Galactic Kids Next Door!”

“YAAAAAY!”

“3 years ago today, this proud organization was revived from the ashes of its predecessor, having taken the shape of a face of good instead of evil. And thanks to our heroism, many other planets have followed our footsteps, ensuring good and peace for all kids all over the universe. We’ve organized a special party to take place on our H.Q.; starting at 5:00p.m.. We’re having a special team come over to help us get ready, but; if anyone’d like to chip in!” she grinned vibrantly.

A cricket’s chirping was the only thing heard across this auditorium.

Nebula frowned grumpily. “Recently, one of our organizations has captured a notorious intergalactic criminal responsible for the kidnapping of hundreds of kids across the galaxy, and he’s currently awaiting trial at Coruscant Council. Once he is out of the way, we will meet up at H.Q. and PARTY our respective variations of rear bottoms off!”

“YEEEAAAHHH!”

“But remember, everyone: this party not only celebrates the birth of our organization, but celebrates the uniting of many alien cultures. The Galactic Kids Next Door and Galactic Kid Council is a coming together of many interracial groups for the sake of a common good. And though we have our squabbles, we must not forget our purpose, as Kids Next Door operatives who fight the evils of adult tyranny, and fight for the rights of every kid!”

“YAAAAAAAH!”

“So for that reason, we will not have any political debates today. I mean, that’s adult stuff, right?!” she exclaimed jokingly. It earned small chuckles. “All we should focus on is having fun and looking forward to the future! So that our great organizations can go ANOTHER 3 years, even MORE!” And with another outburst of cheers, Nebula finished, “Kids Next Doors… dismissed!”

As everyone piled out of the chamber, Nebula and Jerome floated down to the floor below. “It’s hard to believe any of them have opinions when all they do is cheer.” Jerome commented.

“Well, maybe that’s because I’m such a great speaker.” Nebula smiled playfully. “But that all goes for you _too_ , Jerome. You’re so uptight all the time.”

“Says the girl who likes to _shrink_ her operatives when they don’t follow orders.”

“Hey, only with Cheren. Besides, he’s used to it. _Which, he’s got somethin’ to look forward to for not showin’ up.”_ She mumbled. “Ahem, besides, this party’s meant for all of us after a hard year’s work. _Though in that sense, we should move it to another planet._ Well, we’ll make room for next year. Anyway… let’s head back to the base. The prison transport may be here soon.”

“Mmm.” Her brother nodded. In that instant, the two warped away.

**Galactic Council; dressing room**

“Ooooh CURSE those know-it-all rulers and government officials!” Tachyon whined as he stomped into the room on his skimpy bug legs. “Using lousy… FACTS and…and supporting the good nature of our universe. When will they see that _I_ deserve to be Chancellor! I deserve to have ALL the power! Just as my people did a long time ago! …And I _will_ have all the power. One way or the other. I just need to do a little more planning…”

“Allow me to save you the trouble.”

“Hah?” Tachyon turned around with surprise, seeing a thin, silhouetted figure in the door. She stepped forward, revealing herself a white-skinned being with reddish-pink hair, sticking up in two points, yellow eyes with black eyeliner, and dark-purple armor.

“You and I share a similar goal. And I would be glad to help you. You may call me… _Vendra_.”

 

**And there we end the first chapter. I was gonna have a little mission or something for Sector V at the beginning, but I figured, ehhh no big deal. May add it later. So yeah, lot of _Ratchet & Clank_ stuff as you may see; that’s where Phyronix, Tachyon, and Vendra come from. Next time, we’ll do the first stage when the action begins. See you later!**


	3. Caesar Retrieval

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Team Vweeb escorts Caesar Clown to the Galactic Council for questioning. However, some people aim to retrieve Caesar.

**Hey guys, welcome back to _NECSUS_! Here, we’re gonna begin the first stage, which is really just a prologue stage if anything. But hey, there is an invasion. ;I**

****

**_

Chapter 3: Caesar Retrieval

_**

****

**Prison Transport Ship to GKND H.Q.**

The prison ship was on route to GKND H.Q., and Sector V was onboard to guard their prisoner. Aaron and Rhilliane Doblemitz piloted the vessel as Aurora Uno spoke to them. “All right guys, nothing too major here, this is just a simple prisoner escort mission, we drop off the clown at GKND H.Q., we go home. So NO fighting over Yipper Cards and blowing up the engines. And I hope we’ve made sure to REMOVE that Blow Up The Engines button.”

“Ahh, relax Ror, we got it under control.” Aaron assured.

“Besides, we aren’t into Yipper anymore.” Rhilliane stated.

“Yeah, ’cause _Yu-Gi-Oh_ Cards are the way to go!” They both held up Duel Monster cards.

“It was only a matter of time.” Aurora said with disbelief.

“Shurororororo!” laughed the clown scientist from his cell. “Come on, boys, set up the inflight movies! You can’t expect me to sit here bored! It’s no wonder you never get any customers! Are cheapo flights like this even good for travel??”

“You just keep quiet!” Chris demanded. “Save your jokes for the Galactic Council.”

“Aww you kids are no fun.” He frowned. “Should’ve just let Sector DR come. But if you won’t put on a decent movie, the airline food better be good. I mean, what’s up with that stuff, right?”

“Uuugh.” Haruka eye-rolled. “Let’s just get to GKND and be done with this guy.”

**King Household**

After the graduation ceremony, George and MaKayla had to skip the afterparty to return home upon their parents’ request. “All right, you guys are back!” Their mother, Misty beamed. “Any new team members?”

“No, not really.” MaKayla said with a frown. “But, there’s always next time!” she smiled again.

“Anyway, you’re just in time! Your father’s all ready to go.” They entered the garage, where Mr. King waited beside a small spaceship.

“Hey, guys!” Jagar greeted. “Any new members?”

They shook ‘no.’ “So what is this?” George asked.

“Oh, just a spaceship Clockwork whipped up for me, before he vanished. That’s ’cause where _we’re_ about to go, is pretty much in the deepest reaches of the universe.”

“Is THAT where we’re going??” George questioned. “What exactly are you SHOWING us?”

“Something you kids will need to know eventually.” Jagar chuckled. “Alright, everyone get on. I’ve already packed the essentials; _including_ your DS. Let’s go.” With that, the family hurried on the ship as Jagar began to activate it. The garage’s roof opened, and before they knew it, the family was flying out of the atmosphere.

**GKND H.Q.**

The prison transport parked outside of the intergalactic treehouse’s hangar, connecting a bridge for Sector V to step inside with their prisoner. “Ahhh, Sector V, good to see you!” Nebula exclaimed as she, Jerome, and Team Vweeb were there to greet him. “I hope our passenger wasn’t _too_ much trouble.”

“Well, it’s not the worst job we’ve had.” Aurora said.

“Shurororo! I could say the same about your plane! But at least we didn’t have to stop in Florida.” Caesar joked.

“Your assignment’s done for now; Team Vweeb will handle the rest.” Nebula told them. “They’ll deliver Caesar to the Galactic Council on Coruscant to put him on trial. Meanwhile, I have something else for you, so I’d like you to stay here for a while.”

“Sure thing.” Aurora said simply.

“Alright, you four, the show’s yours.” Neb said to Team Vweeb.

“Come along, Crazy Face.” Makava told Caesar as they led him onto their Nova Cruiser ship.

“Shurororo! Oh nooo, I’m taken, I hope my friends come to rescue me! Any of you kids want any candy?” Caesar smirked.

“I’ll take some!” Vweeb perked.

“Vweeeeb!” Makava yelled.

They watched as the high-tech S.C.A.M.P.E.R. took off from the hangar into deep space. “Haaaa, now that that’s taken care of,” Nebula began as she clapped her hands, “GLAD to have you here to help us get ready for our anniversary party!”

“HUH??” Sector V exclaimed.

“Cheren told me you’d be happy to help!” Nebula grinned. “It’s why he sent you to guard Caesar! So come on, we’ve got a thousand party favors, let’s get started!” With that, she and Jerome floated off.

“Sigh. …This job really blows.” Artie said as they looked with disbelief.

“I’m buckin’ Cheren’s bum after this.” Aurora stated. “Sigh, all right, let’s get started.” With that, the team of 11 split up to do different tasks.

**KND Moonbase**

Following the graduation ceremony, many of the operatives attended the afterparty, where Cheren was doing paperwork at a table in the corner. “Hm… I feel like someone’s gonna kick my butt later.”

“Hey-heeeey, wassup, Cherry mah man!” Cheren looked up as Doflamingo Jr. approached him, his grin sparkling.

“Heheh, hey, Doffy! Congratulations to your sister for making it in!”

“Heh, I always had faith in her. So listen, Cherry, wanted ta ask you something: About sendin’ Sector V on the mission to escort Clown, I’ve been thinkin’, kinda dangerous, don’tcha think? I mean, you don’t know WHAT kinda people might go after ’em just to get Caesar back. Especially in SPACE. I was wonderin’ if MY sector should go along to provide backup. I mean, if you look at our record, we’ve rarely taken a hit. Sector V can get done a lot more safely with our help.”

“Ehhh, I wouldn’t worry about it, I have faith in them. Besides, your sister just got done with training, maybe she should relax.”

“Come on, my sister just got done with training ’cause she was EAGER to get goin’ on missions! And this is her CHANCE man, come on! Show a little love!”

“I don’t know, Doffy. I mean, if something bad _does_ happen, I’d need everyone else I can to be ready. But hey, I’ll find a different mission for you! You could check out those candy mobsters for me. Still need to do something about them. Uaaah.” Cheren stood up to stretch his arms. “I cannot sit down for this long. I need a walk.” And Doflamingo frowned as Cheren walked away, glaring behind his sunglasses.

The Supreme Leader approached Panini by the snacks table. “Hoi, Cheren! Doflamingo givin’ you trouble?”

“Ehh, not really. He wants to go on the mission to hand over Caesar. But to be honest, I’m not sure we can trust him.” Cheren frowned worriedly.

“Why not?”

“Well, Dillon told me that Nolan told him that Caesar told HIM… well, Caesar listed a group of people who order from him. Someone called Specter, Big Mom, Percival Tachyon… and _Don Quixote Doflamingo_.”

Panini gasped quietly. “You mean… _Doflamingo’s father_?”

“Mm-hm.” Cheren spared a suspicious glance to the Sector Leader. “I feel like his father put him up to getting Caesar back. But that would mean his father knows about KND, too.”

“Who _is_ his father, anyway?”

“He’s the owner of a major toy industry, and his company creates living toys that talk and interact with people. His two bestsellers are Sheriff Woody and Buzz Lightyear. But I’m not sure _what_ he would want with Caesar. But the fact that each of Sector DR are metahumans…”

“Maybe he wants to raise his _own_ army?”

“I dunno… but I think we should keep an eye on them. I hate to distrust fellow operatives… but you never know.”

Doflamingo still glared at the two as his teammates approached. “What’s the plan _now_ , Boss?” Numbuh Sweetie-1 asked.

“We’ll go after Caesar eventually. But with those two pryin’ over us… We’ll just have to wait for the perfect diversion. _Then_ we’ll go for it…”

**Downtown Coruscant**

Team Vweeb entered the atmosphere of the expansive, planet-wide city, where the streets were active as always, on both the low levels and high levels. “Shurororo!” Caesar cackled, his hands and faced pressed to the ship’s window. “Whoa, what a VIEW! Oooh, look at all the aliens! OOOH, an Applebee’s, let’s get some GRUB!”

“Siiigh.” Tronta sighed. “So what, we just fly over the Galactic Council, drop this freak out the door and be done with it?”

“Uhhhh no.” Makava said. “Besides, they’ve sort of upped security at the council today, because they think Caesar’s customers might try and kidnap him. And in case they mistake us for an enemy ship, we should land a safe distance and just cut through town. You know, so we don’t draw much attention.”

“Oh sure, ’cause leading a handcuffed psychopath through town doesn’t draw attention.” Tron remarked.

“Well, if we’re walking there, I call Arianna’s shoulder.” Vweeb stated. “’Cause I ain’t walking on the ground where I’ll get lost and likely get stepped on in the confusion.”

“Hm hm hm hm!” Arianna giggled.

“There’s a spot right there.” Makava pointed. “Let’s land and make this quick. And no running away, you.” She scolded Caesar.

“Okaaay, Mooooom.” Caesar moaned.

 

_Stage 1: Coruscant_

_Mission: Guide Caesar safely to the Galactic Council Headquarters._

The Nova Cruiser took land on a small balcony, in the center of four planted trees, on some random building, hundreds of feet above the ground. The four operatives stepped off as their prisoner cooperatively came along. “Now remember, kids, I want you to be on your best behavior and don’t stray too far from the group!” the clown told them with his wicked grin. “If you kids are really good, I’ll treat you to KFC, but only singles, no doubles, also-”

“Put a cork in it.” Makava retorted as they stepped down some stairs along the side of the building. “And FYI, it’s _S_ FC; Secco Fried Chicken.”

They entered a door into the building, bypassing several aliens in business suits. “Nothin’ to see here, people, just a group of kids leading a dangerous criminal!” Vweeb exclaimed happily.

“Oh, Vweeb…” Arianna scolded.

They earned a few suspicious looks as they passed through the building, but no one seemed to care. Caesar twirled around as he followed them and examined the building. “Ooooh, the primary distribution center of flying cars! _Very_ futuristic! After we’re done, can we stop by and get a Cadillac??”

“Dude, get with the program, that car’s been obsolete since 2219 BBY.” Makava said.

They exited the building onto another outer balcony, where two treadmill sidewalks connected this building with the next. The left treadmill moved toward their building, while the right one moved to the next, so the five got on that one with many other people. They stood patiently while it carried them across; except of course for Caesar, who jumped onto the left one and ran alongside them. “Ha haaaaa lookameeee, I’m running up the down escalator, shurororo! Ohhh, I always wanted to do this, but MUM never let me!”

“ _This_ guy is an A-ranked criminal?” Vweeb questioned.

“Too much time in prison _really_ hurts a person’s spirit…” Tron remarked.

Caesar decided to jump back to their side as they arrived at the next building’s balcony. As they went around the left, they spotted a small, pixelized picture of a gray robot with an antenna’s head pasted on the side of a building. “Why do robots think it’s so funny to make graffiti art?” Arianna asked.

“That’s what happens when they aren’t properly checked:” Makava began. “They run around and start doin’ whatever.”

They reached a ledge where many other citizens waited before speeding traffic of flying cars. Caesar sat along the railing and exclaimed, “Now remember kids, when crossing the street, it’s important to look both ways and make sure no other cars are coming! These rules apply no matter how high above the street you are, shuroro! And only cross the street when the crosswalk sign gives the signal!” And with that, the clown fell backward, hanging on the railing with his legs as he hung upside-down, grinning madly at the thousand-foot drop. “HOO hoo hoooo! MAN, wouldn’t wanna fall HERE!”

Makava grabbed his jumpsuit and pulled him back up. “You make US feel like the adults.”

The hovering stoplight turned red, and the cars immediately stopped as a row of circular platforms hovered up to allow everyone to cross. They jumped the floating platforms carefully as Tron said, “I don’t see why hover-cars still have to drive in lines of traffic.”

“Do you want flying cars to fly everywhere aimlessly?” Makava asked.

“Good point.”

They reached a wide, bustling park; stationed atop another thousand-foot building, where children frolicked and people went about their business. They approached the fountain in the center, where a huge metal statue of Anakin Skywalker stood in all its glory. “Ahhh, Anakin Skywalker… now that’s a real Galaxian hero.” Makava said in admiration.

“Hehe, you’re totally crushing over him.” Tron snickered.

“Well, why not? He’s a badass swordsman.”

“Galaxia was in a brink of darkness, and Anakin saved everyone.” Arianna said, her eyes sparkling at the statue. “Just think… this statue will stand proud and tall for hundreds of years, and people will always look on it with hope.” But at that moment, a storm of bombs rained down and pelted the statue, exploding all around as the kids and clown ducked. They peeked back up when the smoke cleared, and the statue still stood proud and tall, making a light sparkle. _Ding!_

“…Hey! You were right, Ari!” Vweeb grinned.

“FREEZE!” The kids jumped around and faced a squad of robots with glass helmets. The helmets contained little orange fishlike aliens.

“What’re YOU guys??” Tron snapped.

“Those’re Drophyds.” Makava replied, her swords ready. “They’re a violent race of fish that come from Aquaria. They’ve been aiming to take over Galaxia, but they’ve never acquired the resources. I wonder what they’re doing here?”

“We’re here to take Caesar.” The Drophyd leader responded. “Our boss requires his knowledge, so he’s coming with us!”

“I’M SAAAAVED!” The clown cried as he immediately dashed over to the soldiers. “TAKE ME AWAY FROM HEEEEERE!”

“Hey, get back here!” Makava yelled as she charged over. The captain Drophyd activated its rocket shoes and flew away, carrying the scientist with him. He hovered over the edge as Tronta spun around and launching his Light Discs. The twin discs zipped up and struck both the robot’s legs, causing him to fly out of control and ram headfirst into a building, breaking the Drophyd’s glass helmet.

“SHUROOOOOO!” Caesar cried excitedly as he began the thousand-foot drop, but Makava dashed forward, spun around, and TOSSED a sword to stab it right through Caesar’s cuff’s chain-holes, afterwards sticking to the side of the building and letting the clown dangle.

As Caesar hung in place patiently, he peeked into one of the building’s windows and saw an alien woman undressing. She noticed the clown and screamed, _“Aaaahh!”_ before hurrying out of there.

“LOOKIN’ GOOD, Honeeeeey!” he grinned.

“Hoo…” Makava sighed in relief. “We’ll have to go up and retrieve him. Let’s go, team!” (Play the “Metropolis” Theme from _Ratchet & Clank: Tools of Destruction_.)

The kids hurried past and attacked the squad of Drophyds as they ran to a row of floating platforms, taking them to a narrow pathway. A Drophyd appeared on the path’s right corner turn, but Tronta easily kicked it off as they hurried onto a new road. More Drophyds came down from a transport ship, but Makava spun her single sword and blocked their shots as she jumped over to slice their glass helmets. Tron tossed his discs to break their helmets while Vweeb ran up, climbed into their suits, and dismantled them from inside. The Drophyds fishy heads bounced around on the ground, but Tronta jumped around and squashed all of them.

Makava stabbed her sword in the side of the building on their right and climbed her way up. She reached the walkway around the building and hurried around to have a view of Caesar, still hanging over the abyss. She wasn’t sure how to get to him, but she watched as a hovercraft of Drophyds parked below him. Caesar grinned and pulled himself from the wall, causing the sword to fly out as he fell onto the craft, backfirst. Makava summoned her sword back to her hand as she watched them leave. Thankfully, an alien teen was driving by on his hoverbike, so Makava leaped over and landed on the backseat. “Hey! Give me a lift, will ya?” Not really understanding, the teen decided to chase the Drophyds on her request.

With that, the rest of Team Vweeb hurried along their route as Tronta tossed his Light Discs and knocked down a few Drophyds, while Vweeb shot their robot suits with his Stun gun and disabled them, forcing the fish heads to come out. Arianna couldn’t do much, so she only kicked the flopping fish-heads away. “I sure wish Coruscant had more animals.” she said.

The three reached the ledge on the other side and watched as the wall of the lower floor of a parallel building was blown open by the Drophyds. They decided to hop into this opening and fight their way past the Drophyds in the building’s interior, which was now nothing but burning office desks, smashed walls, and dangling ceiling lights. A Drophyd Enforcer took land in the building, a Drophyd inside a tall, four-legged spider-like body. It blasted them with machineguns, but Vweeb hopped off Arianna and started bouncing up its spider legs, squeezing his way into the robot’s interior. He crawled through until he reached the cockpit, surprising the Drophyd controller. Vweeb simply shot the fish-head and destroyed him, causing the robot to fall over.

The group reached an outer balcony of the building, which had the end of one of Coruscant’s many transport tubes. They stepped in and allowed it to zip them around the city at high speed, before they were forcefully dropped off at the top of another building. Two more Drophyd Enforcers began to blast them, but Tronta tossed his Light Discs at one’s helmet while Vweeb climbed his way up the other. After the Kateenian got inside the robot, he fiddled around with the controls until the robot was forced to shoot his companion. Vweeb jumped back to Arianna as the robot he was just in self-destructed.

The kids reached the ledge of the building, seeing another building top several yards away, too far to jump. A row of Drophyds were flying past with jetshoes; lined up like a staircase, so Tronta and Arianna simply bounced across them to reach the next building. A Drophyd Dropship then came by and released a Cyclocannon, which was a Drophyd in a pod between two huge wheels. It sped toward the operatives, forcing them to jump away, then turned and faced them as it blasted a machinegun. Tron threw his Light Discs to try and hit it, but it used its wheels to defend. Vweeb tried to run up to it, but the little alien was forced to dodge when its wheels sped forward.

Thankfully, Arianna noticed some pigeons flying overhead, so she used her telepathy to summon them down. They flew over the Cyclocannon’s cockpit and pooped on the windshield, blinding the Drophyd and causing him to drive over the edge. They saw a grind rail connected to the edge of the building and hopped on as they skied down and around the building. They passed by a gigantic poster on the building’s side, depicting the galaxy-renowned mariachi band and their Broadway stardom.

_“Celebrating the 15th anniversary of Los Búhos Musicales, Galaxia’s greatest Broadway hits next to the Cantina Stars. For it was 15 years ago today that four Seccoan owls followed a random visitor around, who happened to be a professional record dealer. The moral of the story is, sometimes stalking people with music really pays.”_

The kids grinded off that rail and landed on a set of 3 parallel grind-rails. “Yuh-oh. I think we’re on the skyway tracks!” Tron exclaimed as they jumped to the middle rail just before a train sped by. Two more trains were coming on the middle and right rails, so they jumped to the left, then jumped to middle when a train came from the left, then jumped right, then quickly to left, then middle, then left again. “I will never understand their clustered train schedule.”

They finally jumped on another left rail, which led them down to another pathway atop a building. Two Cyclocannons appeared ahead, but the kids dodge-rolled forward when they boosted over, causing them to bump each other. They tried to ignore the enemies as they hurried ahead, seeing another transport tube. Another Drophyd Enforcer landed and blocked their path, beginning to shoot at them. The kids turned and saw the Cyclocannons speeding back, so they dodged to the side and allowed them to ram the Enforcer’s legs. The Cyclocannons drove off the ledge, while the transport tube blocked the Enforcer’s fall; before it slipped to the side and fell anyway.

With that, the group entered the transport tube and sped over the city again. The tube’s route went pretty straightforward, until “WOOOOAAAHHH!” It was suddenly blown open by cannon fire from a Drophyd ship, causing the three to fall the tremendous drop. But before they could fall long, Makava came by and caught them on her occupied hoverbike.

“I never _did_ trust those things.” She remarked.

“Man, what kinda crazy kids are you?” the bike’s teen driver asked.

“Shut up and go after that clown!” Vweeb ordered.

The group recklessly sped around several buildings and speeding traffic, seeing the Drophyds craft with Caesar Clown up ahead. “Shurororo! This is taking car chases to the next level! Faster, faster! And don’t be afraid to jump those hovertrucks via hoverramps!”

The Drophyds shot backwards to try and hit the pursuing bike, but the operatives swerved around and evaded while Makava bounced a few shots away. And what seemed like total coincidence, they were speeding to a hovertruck that was blocking the road, with a hoverramp stationed before it. The sign on the side of the ramp read, _HoverCorp’s new hoverramp. Convenient for any car-chaser on the go._

The Drophyds’ craft sped for the ramp and successfully shot up over the truck. “Think we’ll make it?” Makava asked.

“Yeah, I got a plan.” The teen said. With that, he simply flew his bike under the truck, then returned at level with the traffic.

“Eeee-yep. That _was_ a good plan.” Vweeb said.

“Alright, we gotta bring their craft down.” Tron said, pulling out his Light Disc. “Vweeb, get on.”

“Right!” The little Kateenian hopped on the Frisbee as Tronta tossed it straight over. The disc bonked a Drophyd’s helmet and returned, but Vweeb jumped off and climbed into the hovercraft’s structure. After taking apart the wires, the craft began to spin out of control before crashing onto a lower street.

Vweeb managed to jump out in time as the others landed, and Arianna picked him up. “We’ll take it from here.” Makava told the teen.

“Please do.” And the teen was out of there instantly.

The operatives looked to the ship’s wreckage and saw Caesar trying to tiptoe away. “Hold on a second!” Makava yelled as she leapt over and KICKED the back of Caesar’s head.

“OW!!”

“What did we say about not running off?”

“I WASN’T running, I was TIPtoeing!”

“Look, _you_ are gonna go to Galactic Council, and YOU are gonna… well, probably hate it but you’re STILL going! Now let’s go!” And Makava pulled Caesar along as they turned around more buildings. The humongous dome that was Galactic Council was in sight, so the group began their dash across the mile-long path.

“I STILL don’t see why we couldn’t just FLY.” Tronta said angrily. (End song.)

**New GKND H.Q.**

As Kirie was laying plates and cups around the cafeteria’s tables, the mute girl was joyfully drawing faces on them with crayons. “What the heck do you think you’re doing??” Nebula questioned as she walked in.

_I thought the party would be more fun if everyone thought the cups were making faces at them! I mean, aliens probably have a lot-a things that’re alive, right?_

“Ugh, but no one’s gonna wanna drink from some thing that looks _alive_ , it’s the kind of thing that’ll make them sick to their stomachs and-”

“Numbuh Eternal!” Jerome yelled as he hurried into the room. “Our scanners picked up activity on Planet Coruscant! There’s an invasion happening at the capital!”

“An invasion?? Who is it; are they after Caesar?”

“It’s the Drophyds, from Aquaria. We’re not really sure what they’re after.”

“Sigh… alright, let’s head down and try to help Team Vweeb. As long as we still get Caesar into Council, everything’ll be okay. Sector V, you all stay here and keep preparing for the party.” And with that, the two ran off. Kirie smiled as she was about to draw another face on a cup, but Nebula ran back, smacked the crayons away, and said, “Nnno!” before running off.

**Outside Galactic Council H.Q.**

“Huff, huff, we’re almost there.” Makava panted as they ran. “If we could just get in Galactic Council, we should be safe.”

But before they could reach the building’s entryway, they were blown back by a sudden explosion. When they recovered, they saw their assaulter was a white-skinned teenager with dark-pink hair and dark-purple armor. “Sorry… this is as far as you go.”

“Oh, great.” Tronta remarked as they stood up. “And who’re _you_?”

Makava gasped. “Wait! I know her… she’s…”

_

Most Wanted criminal in Galaxia  
"Space Witch" VENDRA PROG

_

“Sorry to interrupt you kiddies’ playtime,” Vendra began as a gorilla-like being, with similar hair, skin, and armor, approached her from behind, “but I can’t allow Caesar to face imprisonment. His powers are much too important.”

“I’M ALL for that!” Caesar exclaimed. “GET me outta here!”

“Try and TAKE him from us!” Makava declared as they readied for battle. “Heeee-YAH!” The Glomourian leapt at Vendra, but the criminal conjured a purple barrier and bounced her back.

“Unfortunately, I’m a spacebender. Though _my_ powers are a bit more _advanced_.”

“Oh yeah? How come?” Vweeb asked.

“Well, I come from a race that lies in the deepest confines of space itself. But it’s too much to explain right now. I’m running on a tight schedule, so, I can’t get into it. Neftin, would you do us the honors of finishing them?”

“Nnn, my pleasure, Sis.” The gorilla grinned evilly.

_

Second-most wanted criminal in Galaxia; twin brother of Vendra  
NEFTIN PROG

_

The gorilla man raised both fists and slammed them together, shaking the space around the kids and knocking them back. Makava and Tronta jumped back up and ran at him, but the gorilla grabbed them both and SLAMMED their heads together, knocking them out as he threw them forward. Arianna stood her ground and tried to look fierce, but Neftin could detect her quaking. The muscular Nether leapt high and smashed his fist to the ground, causing a shockwave that knocked Arianna out.

Vweeb was flung high into the air from the force, able to recover as he bounced along the ground. The tiny alien looked up as the gigantic gorilla towered over him with a fierce and merciless grin. “Eeep!” The tiny Kateenian dashed away as fast as he could, but Neftin lowered a hand down and flicked him away. It was a light flick from his perspective, but the force was strong enough to knock Vweeb out cold.

Caesar was knocked out by the previous shockwave, but the clown woke up when Neftin suddenly lifted him over his shoulder. “That’s right, Daddy, I’ve been a really bad boy and I need to be CARRIED over the shoulder so I don’t run away! COME ALOOONG, let’s go home!” And with that, the gorilla Nether jumped several yards and grabbed the side of another building, jumping his way down to the street as his sister flew after him.

**With Nebula and Jerome**

“It looks like they’re retreating for now.” Jerome observed as he and Nebula flew high above a city street.

“I wonder what they came for?…”

As they skimmed the area, Jerome took notice of the pathway to the Galactic Council, and gasped with horror. “Sister! Look!”

Nebula’s eyes widened, seeing the team of Makava, Tron, and Ari being carried into the building on medical pads (Vweeb was there too, but he was too tiny to see). “Oh no!” The two immediately flew down, finding their operatives were bruised and bloody. “What happened to them?”

“We’ll ask them as soon as we get them treated.” a doctor explained. “Their injuries aren’t serious, it shouldn’t be long.”

“We’re coming in, too!” she insisted as she and Jerome hurried in the building.

**One hour later…**

“Mmmm…” The kids moaned after finally recovering, bandages wrapped around their bloody spots.

“Hoo, finally.” Jeremy sighed as he knelt down beside them. “Are you kids all right?”

“Yeah… we’re fine.” Makava said.

“What happened? Where’s Caesar?” Nebula asked.

“ _I_ can clarify that.” They turned as Percival Tachyon approached them. Team Vweeb looked around and suddenly realized they were in a huge courtroom with all the planet rulers.

“What’re we doing in here?” Makava asked.

“Tachyon requested we’d all be in here.” Jeremy said with a spiteful glare to the senator. “Although they _should_ get more rest.”

“I’ll only be a minute, Councilman.” Tachyon assured. “I just want to get something across, once and for all.” He stepped to the center of the courtroom as Nebula shot him a glare. Tachyon raised his scepter and spoke to everyone, “People of Galaxia! THIS is what’s becoming of our next generation. Do you SEE what happened to these kids?!” he pointed to the injured Team Vweeb. “Because we trusted them with the task of escorting a dangerous criminal, THEY almost DIED today! Do you see what we’re allowing them to do?? Because our own imperial force is TOO damn lazy, we allow these inexperienced children to go out and RISK their lives doing something we ADULTS should be handling! If this continues, the future of our galaxy will be in grave danger, letting our next generation PERISH due to our laziness. YOU should be ASHAMED of yourselves!”

There were small discussions of agreement and guilt going about the courtroom. “And because of their reckless blundering, they’ve allowed a dangerous criminal to escape in the hands of the two most wanted felons in the galaxy! Who knows WHAT they can produce with his intellect!”

“Wait just a second!” Nebula spoke up. “Our operatives were unprepared for a planetary invasion. The Galactic Kids Next Door has every intention of tracking down-”

“ZIP IT!” Tachyon yelled, bashing her head with his scepter. “A child’s premature outbursts don’t matter to us here!” He spoke to the audience again, “Allow me to reiterate, if I am elected Chancellor, my first priority will be to shut the Galactic Kids Next Door down! Not for the safety of our own _adult_ kind, but for the safety of our next generation! Will you really allow our precious youth to KILL their selves in place of our lazy, good-for-nothing troops? Like how THOSE two would’ve?!” He pointed accusingly at Jeremy and Phyronix. “Not just in our galaxy, but ALL over the universe, they’re risking their lives! And that’s why, we need to shut them down! Elect me as Chancellor, and I will execute the perfect plan, to do so!”

The operatives began to look worried as mutters of strong agreement began to go about the courtroom. Nebula glared at Tachyon, who bore a smug, wicked grin on his face.

 

**Ahhhh I am not looking forward to the rest. X) So yeah, obviously Caesar would escape, just like Joker. And yeah, not a good first stage, but hopefully the other ones will be better. I wanna put the next one in the next chapter. Soooo next time, Galaxia will elect their Chancellor. Take a wild guess who. :P Alright, later.**


	4. The New Chancellor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Percival Tachyon wins the election of chancellor, and with the help of his new partner, the Kids Next Door are subdued!

**All right, guys, we’re gonna do the second stage and meet our new Chancellor! …Or should I say… well, you know. But first, let’s see what the King Family’s up to!**

****

**_

Chapter 4: The New Chancellor

_**

****

**King Family’s spaceship; near the center of the universe**

The four members of the King Family boarded the strange spaceship designed by their parents. George only sat boredly as he stared out the window to empty space, while MaKayla carefreely kicked her legs around in the air. “Siiigh, why are we flying to the deepest reaches of space again?” George asked.

“Come on, George, can’t you at least _pretend_ to be interested?” MaKayla asked, pinching his cheek. “I mean, we’re in _space_! How many kids our age get to go to SPACE??”

“Gee, I dunno, maybe like EVERY BAZILLION KID who’s ever been an OPERATIVE!”

“George, you should listen to your sister.” Misty King scolded. “Where we’re going, you need _lots_ of positive energy. It’s the center of our heritage!”

“Our heritage?”

“Our timebending heritage.” Jagar told them from his pilot’s seat. “It’s where all of our power comes from.”

“I thought _Dialga_ was the source of all timebending?”

“Heh, you don’t expect Dialga to handle all of this time himself? He needs someplace to keep it all in balance. And we’re going to see it.”

George and MaKayla walked to the windshield and pressed their hands and faces to the window. Their mouths dropped agape as they were arriving at their destination: an enormous space station made of gigantic gears with blue energy flowing through them. “Here it is, kids… the Great Clock.”

The ship landed on a small platform on the station’s outskirts, where the family stepped off and began a walk down the pathway to the entrance. The trip suddenly became a lot more interesting to George, as he and MaKayla were impressed at the station’s colossal size. The family entered the door at the end of the path, finding a short, red, slightly-broken floating robot typing frantically on a computer.

“Oh-ho, Mr. King Sir!” he exclaimed quickly. “Sorry about the mess, Sir. The Teratropes went crazy again and I had to reconfigure all the monitors in Sector Two, and-”

“Hokay, ‘nother time.” Jagar chuckled. “Sig, these are my kids, George and MaKayla. Kids, this is Sigmund, Junior Caretaker of the Great Clock.”

“Actually, it’s Sigma 0426A, but everyone calls me Sigmund for short.”

“Hi, Mr. Sigmund!” MaKayla waved brightly.

“Sigmund used to be a cleaner robot in Zordoom Prison a few 10,000 years ago, until Clockwork decided to make him a caretaker.” Jagar explained.

“And thank goodness.” Sigmund sighed. “You wouldn’t believe the messes those prisoners make. So, what can I do you all for?”

“We’re just here to give the kids a tour. ‘Cause one day, they might be taking the family business.”

“Well, you’ll be happy to know, I cleaned out most of the Teratropes, so everything should be A-okay for your tour! Now I just need to reset the analog clocks, reinstall the Wi-Fi in the computers, check the-“

While he rambled, Jagar simply led his family along, crossing many outer walkways as they toured each of the gigantic rooms. “The Great Clock was constructed by Arceus and Dialga at the beginning of time itself. You see, before its creation, time was terribly unbalanced, and it was impossible for them to control it all by their selves. So they created this station to channel and balance all of the chronokinetic energy all throughout the cosmos. For that reason, it was constructed in the _exact center of the universe_! (Give or take fifty feet.) This is where Dialga harnessed the energy to create Clockwork, and entrusted him with the task of guarding this station and making sure time was balanced across the universe.”

They entered an expansive, hollow room made up of many floating platforms, each with a holographic planet floating over it. “Time disruptions happen more than you might think. This is just one of many rooms where we have holographic links to _all_ the planets in the universe. Clockwork would use his Chrono Staff and zap the locations of the planets that have disruptions, thereby fixing them. Most time disruptions occur from the use of time-travel. You don’t know _how_ often we’ve had to fix Secco.”

Jagar eventually led them to the very center of the station. The door was sealed shut, until Jagar stabbed his Chrono Staff into a small hole, then fired a small, blue laser to form a glowing clock on the door. The clock’s hands touched 12, and the door came open. The room was just a wide, circular platform surrounded by a glass dome. There were 13 tall chairs of different heights surrounding the platform, as well as 7 chairs closer to the center. And the very center was what appeared to be a small lever.

“And this is the Chrono Chamber, most important room in the station. The center where all the timebending is channeled. And that lever right there? Can turn time. But it’s extremely dangerous. It’s safe to go back 6 minutes, but any more than that, or going further…”

“Yah, we get it. But what’s with all the chairs?” George asked.

“I’m not really sure of the whole story. But there’s another legend surrounding this station: before the Great Clock’s construction, or even the creation of the other gods, Arceus created another dimension. But that dimension was so out of balance, it was chaotic. So Arceus created the other gods, and they all created _this_ dimension. But that first dimension was already so out of balance, and if it leaked into this one at all, the same chaos would’ve happened. So the Great Clock was constructed as a gigantic _lock_ , ultimately sealing all access to that dimension. No one could enter it from here, or from any _other_ of the dimensions that were created. But the legend says that, the lock could only be opened after finding 20 _Keys_.”

“20 Keys, what’re those?” George asked.

“I don’t know. But if it’s all true, then I’d advise _not_ opening that lock. Anyway, we’re currently researching a problem. As you know, Time is strongly tied together with Space. That’s because both elements are essentially everywhere. And lately, there’ve been strange disruptions in Space that’re making the Great Clock go all crazy. And because of _that_ , time distortions are happening everywhere. So until we can resolve this problem, we’re staying here.”

“Aw, _maaaaan_. I don’t have _any_ friends in space.” George moaned.

“ _This_ coming from the guy who wants our sector to be more positive?” MaKayla questioned.

“Relax, kids, it won’t be so bad.” Jagar smiled. “I mean, you might be able to pick up a few timebending moves.”

“Can we at least fly down to GKND, hang out with them?” George asked.

“Um… there’s gonna be a problem with that.”

**Coruscant; Galactic Council H.Q.**

Soon after the invasion, the election for Chancellor continued, and the votes were tallied. Councilman Jeremy stepped up to the podium, and looked distinctly less than cheerful. “Well, people, in what seemed like a narrow landslide, the people of Coruscant have decided. Allow me to present Galaxia’s newest Chancellor: Percival Tachyon.” The room echoed with weak applause as the short, bug-like alien stepped up onto the center, smiling with pride and waving his arms as the weak applause sounded.

“Thank you, thank you. As your newly elected Chancellor, I will uphold my promises and have the Galactic Kids Next Door shut down, along with every other Kids Next Door across the universe, to ensure the safety of our future generation. In order to do so, we will need the help of other forces. An _alliance_ is in order, ladies and germs, and I know _just_ the army to call.”

The doors at the bottom of the room flew open, and the world leaders gasped as a Drophyd soldier marched in, dressed in powerful armor. Tachyon lowered his platform down to him as he continued, “I have called the Drophyd Leader here to sign a treaty, officially combining our two armies and granting them pardons for all the harm done to our planet, in return for _them_ assisting us with the shutdown of GKND.”

“You can’t do that!” Jeremy argued. “You have to put it to a vote first, too!”

“I think the safety of our children is more important than THAT.” Tachyon said with a glare. His platform stopped before the Drophyd as both of them signed a piece of paper. “There. Now the Drophyd Army is part of our Imperial Forces. But we mustn’t underestimate the powers of these hooligans. I have called for EXTRA help!”

And gasps echoed across the room again when Vendra Prog appeared out of thin space.

“Having recognized Miss Vendra’s power, I have granted her and her brother a pardon, in exchange that they help us deal with the brats. In doing so, I have also convinced her to hand Caesar over to us. I can assure you, he is now in our custody.”

“THIS IS going too far, Percival!” Jeremy refuted.

“That’s Chancellor Tachyon to you! And you’re in no position to speak, Mr. I-wanted-all-our-children-to-DIE! As of this moment, the Kids Next Door is hereby BANDED! Spread our forces ALL across the universe and expel children from ANY treehouse they SEE.”

**New GKND H.Q.**

Nebula and the operatives returned to base following the chaos, as the Supreme Leader was slumped in her throne, a hand over her face. Jerome hurried in with Sector V as he said, “Numbuh Eternal, did you see the news just now?? Tachyon’s become Chancellor and he’s ordering the shutdown of _all_ KNDs across the universe!”

“But they can’t do that, can they??” Aurora questioned. “The KND isn’t even within the government’s jurisdiction!”

“Nothing ever is.” Chris stated. “It’s a little thing called ‘war’.”

“Sigh, well we can’t have a party with all _this_ goin’ on. I’m afraid we’re gonna have to cancel. We’re sending a message for all operatives to return to their homes.”

“Aww, maaan! And I JUST decorated the candycane table curtains!” Vanellope complained.

“Sector V, we’re going back to your Moonbase so I can discuss a plan with Cheren.” Nebula began as she got up from her throne. “Why Cheren, because I love to bug him so much. Jerome, see that all these other operatives make it home; and when you’re done, meet us on Moonbase. Now let’s go, we don’t have all day.” And as she rushed past them, the team just shrugged and decided to follow.

“Hmmm… I feel like I should stop by home first, too.” Jerome said.

**Star Haven**

Dimentia had just watched the news in her home, and she couldn’t be more worried. She knew her daughter was Supreme Leader of the Galactic Kids Next Door, so she was in the most danger. Especially since… she _knew_ what Tachyon was. She’d recognize his species anywhere. And if he took after his ancestors… he would be after _them_.

And just like that, the front door of her house was blown open, making her jump to attention. The big gorilla Nether, Neftin Prog stomped in, followed by three bounty hunters. One hunter was a blue-furred fox wielding two lightsabers, another was a blue-skinned female holding nun-chucks… and the last was a human man that looked like a cowboy, with a bucket hat, a goatee, and wore sashes loaded with many guns.

Dimentia glared. “Hmph… so you’ve recruited Star Wolf.”

“Yes…” Neftin began with a fierce glare, “and for past crimes against the cosmos, Chancellor Tachyon has ordered Supreme GKND Leader Dimentia’s immediate arrest.”

**Sector V's C.O.O.L.-B.U.S.**

It was 5 minutes since Sector V left GKND H.Q., and were nearing Galaxia's edge. “Soooo what was your plan for dealing with this?” Aurora asked.

“Sigh, I have _no_ idea.” Nebula sighed. “We’ll just have to hope the Kids Next Doors are able to stand their ground. We need to figure out if Tachyon has some other motive behind this. We can probably send some spies and-” But at that instant, the ship was caught inside of a pink bubble.

“Ooooor we can just ask him ourselves.” Haylee said, noticing the huge ship directly above them. The bubble levitated up into an open hatch on the ship’s bottom, and the kids were surrounded by Drophyds. Before Haylee could try and blast through them, the C.O.O.L.-B.U.S. mysteriously scattered into matter. “Well, that was a ripoff.”

A door opened on one side of the room, and the Drophyds stepped aside as a mechanical, four-legged throne marched forward, with Percival Tachyon on its perch. “Ahhhh... Nebula D. Winkiebottom. Supreme Galactic Kids Next Door Leader.” Tachyon observed with a smirk. “Oh, and a couple of moderately evolved apes.” The Sector V team glared.

“Percival Tachyon...” Nebula said with spite.

Chris snickered. “Your name's _Percival_?”

“SILENCE!!” Tachyon bashed Chris's head with his scepter. “You will address me by my new and proclaimed title: I am now, _Emperor_ Percival Tachyon, crown prince of the Cragmites, conqueror of space and time, and—pending the obliteration of a few insubordinate species—RULER of the universe!”

Vanellope laughed, too. “Percival! What a DUMB name for a Chancellor!” The other Sector V members joined in laughter.

“ _EMPEROOOR_! See the crown?? See the scepter?! Walking mechanical throne and LEGIONS of fish men in robotic SUITS?! EMPEROOOR!”

“It doesn’t matter!” Nebula refuted. “You’ve stepped WAY past your boundaries!"

“Like YOU little snots know a THING or two about _boundaries_. And SINCE you kiddies don’t watch the news, you should know that your childish games renowned as the ‘Kids Next Door’ are hereby illegal. Any children caught doing such activities are ordered an immediate, extended, _eternal_ time out.”

“Like WE’RE gonna take timeouts from YOU!” Chris declared. “Aaaayaaaaaah!-” The Uno boy leapt at the emperor and KICKED him across the head, blowing the head clean off.

“WHOOA!!” The kids’ mouths dropped wide open.

“You decapitated him!!” Aurora exclaimed.

Chris was stricken with horror. “Um... you think the Galaxian Government will understand it was just an accident?”

“Oh, I’m positive.” Tachyon said.

“Well, that’s good- WHAT?!”

And before their eyes, Tachyon’s head formed right back onto his body, from little pieces of scattered matter. “That’s not going to work on ME, kiddies! I ate the Matter-Matter Fruit!”

“What’s the Matter-Matter Fruit?” Aurora asked.

“Nothing’s the matter, Dearie! Not with THIS baby! It’s a Devil Fruit that allows me to scatter my own particles, and also lets me manipulate the matter of other objects! In other words, my body is made up of scattered matter!”

“Oh no! He’s a Logia-type!” Dillon deduced.

“But if you have a Devil Fruit...” Haruka gasped, “that means you'd have to be one of Caesar's customers!!”

“Well, of course! Who else do you think would organize his kidnapping??”

A thought cloud appeared over all their heads, and Doflamingo Jr. appeared in it. They shook this off.

“Still, what the Galaxian Government doesn’t know won’t hurt ‘em... much. All they’re concerned with is the safety of their kids... ‘course, I never stated whether or not my methods of safety would require drastic measures. But that all depends if you decide to play along or not.”

“Well, tough!” Nebula denied. “Because we’re NOT playing along, and you’ll never shut all the Kids Next Doors down!” And with that, the galactic leader launched a Starburst and STRUCK Tachyon's face.

“Owowowowowowow!!!” Tachyon rapidly shook his head and wiped the soot off his face.

“Oh?” Nebula gaped. “So spacebending hurts you!!”

“That makes sense.” Aurora said. “Matter is essentially substance, space is... well, nothing, so they'd naturally be polar opposites.”

“Spacebending actually allows us to manipulate and distort matter.” Nebula explained. “Like how a black hole can bend and twist things that they suck in. In this case, I can deal sufficient damage to crazy dictators.” Nebula attempted to throw another Starburst, but Vendra instantly warped before Tachyon and blocked it.

“Then it’s only safe for him to have a spacebender ally.”

“Oh, great. Another crazy weirdo.” Mason eye-rolled.

“A crazy weirdo, huh?!” Vendra furrowed. “For your information, I-”

“Yeah yeah, if they want introductions, they can read the last chapter, now just finish them!” Tachyon demanded.

Vendra rolled her eyes and snapped her fingers, immediately trapping the Sector V operatives in a bubble. Nebula glared and tried to fly at the Space Witch, but Vendra warped behind and grabbed Nebula’s hair and back. “You talk like you know a thing or two about spacebending, but you’re far from it. Your mother’s not even a Logia-type, so you’re in no position. I may not be at that level, but I’ve far surpassed you. With my powers, I am able to see the amount of space inside of a person or structure, and what clutters it. Your chi paths are flowing with strong space energy. It’d be a waste to let it all remain in you. But _I_ for one have _better_ uses in mind.”

Nebula’s eyes widened as Vendra's fingers sunk through her skin, via mini vortexes. Slowly, Vendra channeled all of the Space Chi into her fingertips, until Nebula’s paths were sucked dry. Finally, Vendra pulled her fingers out, and Nebula fell unconscious.

“There… that should take care of it.” Vendra smirked.

“What did you do to her?!” Aurora yelled.

“HA HA ha ha ha haaaa! Miss Vendra here has drained the spacebending chi from Nebula’s form!” Tachyon exclaimed. “And as soon as we do the same to OTHER spacebenders, NO ONE will be able to stand against me! And now to see Miss Winkiebottom is eaten by her OWN vacuum!” With that, Tachyon used his power and scattered the matter of the floor below Nebula. Sector V gasped with horror as the Supreme Leader plummeted down into empty space.

 _“HUAH HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA…”_ Tachyon’s evil laugh echoed as Nebula fell directly toward a dark-green planet.

**Atmosphere of unnamed swamp planet**

Nebula passed through the atmosphere, falling and falling fast through the dark, cloudy sky. She was just about to plummet through the trees of an eerie swamp, until her body was suddenly caught inside a bright blue bubble. Four Zoni flew out from the darkness and gently lowered her to the planet’s surface. _“Her powers are lost. Find the Nether Rifts she must.”_ And they set her on her back before flying away.

The Supreme Leader still lay unconscious on the soft, muddy ground. “Hey! …Hey, Nebula! Wake up!”

“Mmmmm…” Nebula sat up and shook her head, viewing the swampy landscape. “Get enough sleep last night??” She looked down by her right, spotting a familiar tiny alien with a vibrant face.

“Vweeb? Where did you come from?”

“I was hiding in your pocket the whole time! So your pants really ARE inflatable!”

The dark-skinned girl’s cheeks turned red. She shook it off and looked around the swamp again. “Where are we?”

“We’re on Dagobah! Remember? The planet where Monty fought that phantom spirit that had no relevance to the plot whatsoever?”

“Oh yeah…” Nebula stood up and tried to lift off her feet… but she felt surprisingly heavy. She threw her arm forward, but nothing came out. “My spacebending’s gone!”

Vweeb leaped up onto her shoulder. “Probably when that Space Witch stuck her hand through you.”

“The… Space Witch?” The image suddenly played in Nebula’s head, of Vendra grabbing her from behind. “That was Vendra! Wasn’t it?”

“Apparently. Boy, that whole vortex thing was creepy, what is she a ghost or somethin’?”

Nebula stared longingly at her open right hand. “A spacebender that can take away bending?...”

“Spacebending, at least. Anyway, there’s an outlet mall a few miles west of here. We can probably shop for some weapons or something. If anything, we can purchase a ship off this planet. Your parents apparently give you a lot of allowance.”

“Heheheh… yeah…” Nebula faced ahead with a serious look. Thunder was heard in the cloudy heavens as light rainfall started to pour. This planet was very bleak, but she was glad that Vweeb was with her. She sensed a fairly long journey approaching, and she wouldn’t want to go it alone. (Play the “Oozla” theme from _Ratchet: Going Commando_.)

 

_Stage 2: MomCorp Outlet_

_Mission: Get to the mall and buy weapons and a ship to get off the planet._

_Act 1_

Nebula ventured around some huge, dark trees before coming to a path between a small trench. Some Mutant Fireflies flew out and began buzzing around them as Nebula tried to swat away, but Vweeb was able to keep them back with his ray gun. They reached a slightly open area where the path ahead was across a short distance over the swamp. However, now that Nebula felt much heavier, she couldn’t make the jump. There was an old tree to their left that was weak along its base, so Vweeb was able to cut it down with his ray gun.

The tree toppled and made a bridge to another platform, where a Mutant Swamp Beast waited. Nebula crossed the tree-bridge and jumped when the snail-like creature snapped its claws at her. Vweeb was able to shoot its snaily eyes, allowing Nebula to throw kicks at it until it knocked out. To reach the next platform, they had to cross two Venusian Flytrap platforms, but had to jump them quick before they snapped shut. To reach the foothold with the continuing path, Nebula had to grab onto a ledge along the wall and climb over the swamp. However, there were Swamp Snakes slithering atop the ledge, so Nebula tossed Vweeb onto the ledge so he could shoot the snakes away.

They dropped down on the ledge and continued down a path between trees, where plant spawners released Mutant Fireflies, which Nebula swat away. They made it to an open lake area where Dragon Boats – dragon-like reptiles – floated in the water. Nebula hopped onto the first Dragon Boat and rode it to a small island, jumping off before it sank. Some Mutant Muckdwellers jumped out from the water, but Nebula punched and kicked them away before jumping to the next Dragon Boat. They rode it to another one and jumped to it before the previous sunk, and this new one brought it to another dragon. However, it was too far to jump to, so Nebula bounced across the two Flitters (big, blue dragonflies) that were between the two boats.

This dragon began to carry them down a river between trench walls, where Lockjaw piranhas lurked beneath the water. Nebula had to duck as they leapt over the dragon’s back, and when they performed low jumps, Nebula had to jump to avoid them. The Dragon Boat sank below the swamp, so Nebula had to swing across some overhead vines and quickly land back on him when he resurfaced.

They finally jumped off on a safe foothold, standing before a swampy area with several huge beanstalks with leaves big enough to stand on. Nebula proceeded to bounce across the leaves, avoiding the Lockjaws that jumped between the leaves. A few of the beanstalks were spinning slowly, making Nebula wait for the leaves to come around so she can jump. Later, the Lockjaws began jumping to bite the leaves off, forcing Nebula to jump more quickly. She soon reached a beanstalk with leaves that formed a spiral staircase, jumping up them quick as the Lockjaws jumped to eat them.

They soon arrived at a row of vines dangling from above, so Nebula began to swing across them. The vines led through a dark, narrow trench area, and swinging across them was a simple task, before a snarl was heard from beneath the water. A single yellow eye and two tentacles emerged from below the river and began snapping its tentacles at them. Nebula swung as quick as she could to outrun the Swamp Monster, while Vweeb tried to shoot at its eye, barely keeping it back. However, they managed to outrun the creature and reached a safe platform.

The huge, dark, flora-covered mall lay in their sight. It would look rather frightening, if the windows didn’t have lights on, and several people were seen inside. The liveliness of this place sort of made them feel at peace, regarding this dark swamp and this whole situation. The sign outside read ‘MomCorp’, and had a picture of a smiling, nice-looking elderly woman with greyish-white hair, its top shaping a heart, and a cyan fat-suit. The two proceeded into the mall as a calm, catchy jingle sounded across the building. (Play the “Megacorp Store” theme from _Ratchet: Going Commando_.)

_Act 2: MomCorp_

_“Welcome to MomCorp, the greatest weapon distribution center in the galaxy. Take home the latest in missile launchers, skull crushers, and intestine distorters. Feel the terror from your bullies as you bring them total destruction, the envy of your friends as they feel helpless next to you. Buy our latest orders in the next 10 minutes, and your first bullet cargo is free. MomCorp: where our customers’ need to kill comes first.”_

Most of the people in the mall seemed rather shady, but it felt nice to be in such a populated area. They went up a set of parallel stairs to a more open area, approaching an elevator in the center. The elevator was apparently closed, and was stationed on the second floor. However, a few balloons were tied to nearby fence, so Nebula untied one and let Vweeb hang onto it, letting him float up. It didn’t hover high, but there were other balloons floating around in a row, with each one leading higher. Vweeb swung across their strings and reached the second floor. The tiny alien hurried to the elevator and climbed a briefcase that was lain beside it, climbing its long handle.

He was able to climb inside the elevator’s broken button terminal and began to fix up the sparking wires. He managed to fix the buttons, and Nebula smiled as the elevator came down. She stepped inside and rode it to the second floor, grabbing Vweeb as he jumped out the terminal. “We couldn’t just take the stairs, huh?” he remarked.

“Stairs no good for legs.” she stated.

They came to a rightward passage of the mall where the floor was broken. The sign read, _Area under construction. Please use great caution when balancing across the steel beams. MomCorp is not liable for careless platforming._ Just as well, there were several broken metal beams sticking out, so Nebula had to carefully balance across and jump them.

They reached safe ground and made a left turn down a new path. Nebula stopped and beamed when she spotted the store she was looking for. “There it is! Grummel Techs!” She excitedly dashed into the store, where the walls were filled with deadly, high-tech weapons. Nebula approached the chubby, toad-like man at the counter.

“Hey there, welcome to Grummel Techs! But ain’tcha a little young for deadly weapons, kid?”

“You’re never too young to have spirit, Numbuh 20x40.”

“Well, shoot my eye-sockets, if it ain’t little Nebula!” the man perked. “How ya been, ya little tyrant!” he ruffled her hair playfully.

“I’d like to buy some classics.” Nebula stated as she presented some Bolts. “We’re on a big mission.”

“Ahh, I just saw the news. I’d watch myself if I were you.” He said as he took the Bolts. “They’ll be after you like Stormtroopers searchin’ the wrong droids. Anyway, here ya go! GKND’s very own classic S.H.O.O.T.E.R. and B.O.O.M.E.R..” Nebula smiled as she took and studied the weapons. “Oh, and here’s a M.A.P., ‘case ya get lost.” He gave her the small device. “Now you take care, you two! Don’t let me hear you’ve been arrested!”

“Thanks, Grummy.” Nebula nodded. “By the way, where can we buy a ship?”

“Ship department’s just downstairs.” As he spoke, an impish, pink-skinned bald alien with insect legs watched them from behind the doorway. “Ya should be able ta purchase a cheap one, get ya a decent distance. But I might not push it.”

“Okay. See ya!” And the leader hurried out of there.

Nebula walked down some nearby stairs (“Oh, you take THOSE stairs.” Vweeb said) and found a huge garage filled with a variety of ships.

“Well… which one should we take?” Vweeb asked.

“We’ll probably only be able to take a small one. But it has to be efficient, just in case-”

 _“Psst.”_ The two looked over as the pink, bald alien hid behind a closet door. The large-headed alien man, who stood at Nebula’s height, stepped forward, nervously looking both ways. “Nebula D. Winkiebottom?”

“Um… yes?”

“ _I'm_ Professor Pollyx, of Pollyx Industries.” He spoke with a hoarse, high-pitch voice. “We’re a company specifically designed to research supernatural phenomena across the universe. We were recently bought by MomCorp, who has an according with Tachyon’s crew. They’re using our research for something sinister, and I think I know what. But I’ll need _your_ help if I’m going to stop them. I have a ship, we can take it to my secret hideaway.”

“Hold on, hold on! If your company’s working for Tachyon, how do I know I can trust you?” she asked.

“Well, perhaps you’re owed an explanation. And as long as no one’s keeping us from getting away, or blasting us…” (End song.)

At that instant, a group of Drophyd soldiers flew in the garage doors and spotted them. “Don’t let them get away! Blast them!” And so, they began blasting.

“Eeyaaah too late! Quick, get on!” Pollyx cried. The Terachnoid hurried onto his small ship as Nebula started to blast the Drophyds with her S.H.O.O.T.E.R.. After dealing sufficient damage, she and Vweeb hurried onto Pollyx’s ship. The skimpy scientist quickly started up his vessel and took off for the heavens as the Drophyds watched.

**Tachyon’s ship**

Neftin Prog approached his shorter, twin sister as the latter stared closely at her glowing purple hands. “Nnn, we’ve captured the Zathurian, Sis.”

“Good.” Vendra smirked and raised her left hand, still staring longingly. “It won’t be long… until we return home… and _he_ will reward us.”

But Neftin couldn’t feel the same way. He could only stare worried for his sister.


	5. Sector W7, Chapter Bonus

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mocha has trouble fitting into Sector W7 due to her size. (NOTE: This one-shot is considered part of _Operation: NECSUS_.)

**Hello, everyone! Welcome to the secret BONUS chapter of _Sector W7_! As you know, the sector recently got a new member! What better way to help her fit in than giving her her own chapter?? ;D Heeere we go!**

**_Sector W7, Chapter Bonus: Mocha, the Big Burden_ **

**Sector W7 Treehouse**

Another beautiful day on Water 7, the island best renowned for its beautiful days. The friends of Sector W7 were up and doing whatever as usual… but something was a little different. The team of six had a new member: thus making 7 members. Mocha was still asleep in her room, having to sleep on the floor since she was much too big for a bed. However, her friends were nice enough to knit her a giant blanket. The 15-foot tall girl yawned as she rolled onto her left. Her eyes shot awake when she felt something crush under her huge form.

Mocha shot up with surprise, seeing the smashed pile that was her nightstand and alarm clock. “Whoops…” Mocha brushed the mess off as she stood up and headed for the kitchen. At her size, she only had her giant hospital shoes, which were never very comfortable for her, so she chose to walk barefoot. W7’s floor was smooth and polished, so there was no harm in that. The door to her room was a huge, broken hole in the wall, broken open by herself, since they didn’t have time to install a door big enough for her.

The floor shook as Mocha walked down the hall, having to crouch slightly to avoid the ceiling. She finally reached the living room, and when she broke the wall down upon entry, the girls were immediately alerted to her presence. “Heeeey, Mochaaaa!” they cheered in unison.

“Gyom-gyoooom!” Gonbe was happy, too.

“Hm hm hm! Hey, guys!” Mocha smiled. “Sorry about the door.”

“Aaaah that’s okay.” Chimney said. “We’ll remodel the place eventually.”

“Gyom-gyooom.”

“Hm hm, you guys don’t have to do that for me.” Mocha said modestly.

“Well, we can’t have a bunch of HOLES everywhere!” Chimney yelled. “You wanna get SPLINTERS?”

“Ha ha ha! Good point! …” But Mocha still felt a little guilty about it. They didn’t seem to mind, so she tried to push it off. Still, considering her size, she was concerned if she could fit in this team well. …Figuratively speaking. She saw everyone doing something, and wondered if she could join them. She decided to walk over to Apis first, who was playing a videogame on the couch. “Hi, Apis! What’re you playing?”

“ _Zelda_.” The Christian replied. “You play as this leprechaun boy and go on a journey to fight demons. It’s not really Christianity-related… but it’s still awesome!” she smiled brightly.

The giant knelt down and watched as Link sliced away a squad of Bokoblin onscreen. “Looks fun! Can I play?”

Apis paused the game and looked up with concern. “Ummm… I dunno, you’re kinda big. It’ll be hard to hold the controller.”

“No it won’t! See?” Mocha took the controller anyway, using her thumb and index finger. She tried to hold the crumb-sized device with both index fingers, then tried moving the control stick with her thumb, but her index fingers got in the way. “Um… hang on, I can figure this out. Oh-?” In the end, she dropped the controller, and it fell front-first on the hard, polished floor.

Apis gasped and picked up the controller, moving the stick around. “Awww, you ruined the stick!” Her eyes furrowed. “Now I might have to get a new one…”

“Um… I’m sorry.” Mocha frowned. “I’ll just… go somewhere else.”

She then walked over to Aisa, who wielded a bow and arrow as she focused tight on a target nearly 40 feet away. “Hi, Aisa! What’re you doing?”

“Hey, Mocha! I’m practicing my archery.” The Nimbi replied as she launched the arrow, nearly hitting the center. “I’m not sure why, but I’ve kinda got an interest for it.”

Mocha watched as the Nimbi was able to shoot the center. “Cool! Hey, can I try? It’ll be good to practice my aim!” Before Aisa could respond, Mocha took the bow anyway.

“Um, Mocha, I think we should get a bigger bow-”

“It’s okay, I can handle it! You just…” she tried to fit the arrow on the string, “fit it in… and pull it back… Oops.” The bow immediately broke upon her tug.

“Mochaaaa!” Aisa yelled angrily. “It takes forever to make those! Ugh, gimme that!” She jumped up and took the bow back.

Mocha frowned guiltily again. “Um… sorry.” With that, she walked away, deciding to approach April in the corner.

The aforementioned artist merely stared at the blank, plain wall as her artboard depicted its image. “So much beauty… in absolute nothing.” As she painted, Mocha stared over her from behind.

“Hi, April.” Mocha still frowned. “What’s up?”

April bent her head all the way back, Mocha’s head upside-down to her view. “You.”

“Heh heh heh! Right!” April went back to painting, and Mocha frowned slightly, wanting to still keep positive. “Um… so what’re you painting?”

“The corner. There lie so many words in such simplicity…”

“Oh. …Can I paint?”

“Um… it takes a lot of concentration.”

“Come on, it’s just a wall! It’s easy!” Once again, Mocha took the tiny brush and tried to paint the image. However, Mocha’s big fingers got in the way, and she ended up smearing the image. “! …Oops.”

April didn’t look too angry, but furrowed her eyes nonetheless.

“Um… I’ll just go.” She sheepishly walked away, going to the kitchen where Aeincha was climbing her grappling hook to reach the open cabinet, where Rainbow Munchies waited. “Hi, Aeincha! You need some help?”

“No thanks!” Aeincha smiled. “It’s just my daily workout. Gotta get my breakfast somehow!”

“Don’t worry, I’ll get it!” Mocha reached in to grab the tiny cereal box, but she ended up pulling the whole cabinet off its perch.

“Waaaah!” Aeincha ended up falling.

“Oops! Sorry!” Mocha dropped the cabinet behind her and bent down to carefully pick the Lilliputian up.

At that moment, a lovely whiff fell on Gonbe’s nose, and the rabbit looked over at a box of carrot cereal that fell from the cabinet. “Gyom-gyoooom!” He hopped over quickly.

“You okay?” Mocha asked, lightly brushing Aeincha’s shirt.

“Yeah, I’m fine… some debris fell on me, though.”

“I’m sorry.” Mocha frowned, standing back up. “I guess I’m a little-” she took a step back, not noticing Gonbe.

“Gyooooooom!” The rabbit’s eyes widened as Mocha’s foot came down. “Gyuuuaaaaccck!”

“Ahh! Gonbe!” Mocha immediately stepped off, seeing the rabbit squashed flat except for its head, but the giant suddenly tripped on the kitchen’s counter and fell backward, crushing Aeincha.

“Hnn?” Chimney looked up from her blueprints when she felt a quake. Her eyes widened at her little, flattened rabbit companion. “GONBEEEE!” She dashed over like a cheetah, crying over his form. “Waaaaah my little neko-chaaaan! You were so yooo-ooooung!”

“Gyom…gyoooom…” Gonbe moaned dizzily.

“I’m sorry!” Mocha said quickly. “I didn’t see him! I was just… Hu!!” she gasped, realizing she was sitting in the kitchen. The giant stood up and turned around, so everyone could see the tiny Aeincha stuck to her rear.

“Oooohhhhhhhh…” The Lilliputian moaned, nearly out of breath.

“AAAAAHH AEINCHAN!!” Chimney screamed, immediately yanking her friend off and holding her in both hands. “Owaaaahh Aeinchan, speak to me!!” With that, the frantic Sector Leader took big breaths and forcefully blew into Aeincha’s tiny mouth, causing the 3-inch girl to puff in-and-out like a balloon. And since Chimney’s mouth was already so big, that was a lot of breath.

“Ohhhhh…” she only became more dizzy.

Feeling absolutely shameful, the giant ran back down the hall, creating many quakes along the way. After recovering, Aeincha sat up and watched her leave.

**Mocha’s Room**

Mocha sat cross-legged on her blanket, staring blankly at the wall. She wondered if the other members did this when they were dealing with a conflict. Hmmm…

_“As soon as I get treated, I’m signing up for CND Training!” Mocha declared to her fellow giants aboard the transport ship. “Then I can save kids EVERYWHERE from big, mean adults!” She looked with pure confidence. “You guys wanna join, too?”_

_“Well… I’m not sure, Mocha.” Doran frowned. “I mean, we’re kinda too big, don’t you think?”_

_“So?? There’s an AGE restriction, not a HEIGHT restriction!”_

_“I know, but…” Ally spoke up. “They have people like spies, snipers, pilots… you have to be good at nearly everything. But we’re too big to wield weapons, sneak around, or even fit on their smaller ships. I just don’t think it can work out.”_

_“Whaddyou mean, of course it can work out! Just wait, you’ll see!”_

_The following day, Mocha went to CND Training, and stood in a line of many other,_ smaller _kids as Marcus Drilovsky paced before them. They were able to provide her with a giant green coat that matched her size, keeping her warm from the colds. Needless to say, Mocha really stood out from the crowd._

 _“Good morning, Future Kids Next Door, at least that’s what I_ hope _to be calling you.” Marcus Drilovsky spoke with his strict, sergeant tone. “You are entering your first day of Cadet Next Door Arctic Training. You will be tested on spying, building machines, piloting skills, medical skills, basic hand-to-hand combat, and how well you work as a team, to see if you’ve got the stomach to protect kids everywhere. You will all be divided into teams, and I’ll recognize your strengths and weaknesses based on your performance in each field, WITH your team.” He stopped before Mocha and glared up at the giant, “Your friends will be relying on you, and vice-versa, so you BETTER not slip up or hold them back in any way. Understood?”_

_“YES, SIR!” Mocha saluted with confidence, just like the others._

_“Hm hm… let’s find out then…” Marcus smirked, feeling strangely eager to train this girl._

_And once training began, things did not go well. She was assigned her team, and as the tests came, she just felt like one, huge weight pulling them back. They did spying tests first, having to sneak around dark hallways and evade searchlights. Mocha’s team backed as tight as they could against the wall, letting a searchlight go past. “Let’s go.” The leader whispered as the others went ahead._

_“R-Right.” Mocha tried to follow them, making as light footsteps as she could to avoid shaking the floor too much. “WAAAH!” She flinched when she accidentally kicked down some of the metal cans. The searchlights immediately whipped over and spotted the easy target, pelting her with paintballs._

_“Dang it, Mocha!!” one of the teammates yelled._

_For the next test, the teams were pitted against each other in a paintball warzone. Mocha’s team crouched as low as they could behind a row of oil drums. “Alright, plan is simple, we wait for the guys to get close, we jump out, we blast ‘em, any objections?” The leader explained in a very low whisper._

_The opposing team quietly stepped around the hall corner, and the leader shushed them as he examined the area. Everything seemed normal… except for the big bushel of black hair on the other side. “Hey, it’s that giant girl! ! Get ‘em!” They jumped out and immediately began pelting the other side._

_“Aaaah!” Mocha yelped as she stood and was immediately pelted with a barrage of paintballs._

_“Ugh, MOVE, Mocha!” the others yelled as they jumped out and fired back._

_“Nnnn, stooop!” Mocha tried to block the paintballs as she took a step forward. However, she didn’t notice one of her teammates directly under her foot._

_“EEEYAAAOOOOOWWW!”_

_“Ahh! I’m sorry! I’m sorry- WHOA!” And when she stepped off, she tripped and smashed her other teammates. “Ohhhh…”_

_“Heeee-YAH-HAAAAH!” The other team cheered with victory._

_After that embarrassing defeat, they all moved to their next test. “Here, we have virtual simulators that depict realistic images of actual KND ships.” Marcus explained, indicating the different chambers. “Each simulator is fit for five people, and will test your skills on working as a team to pilot the respective ship. ‘Cause remember, while the pilot may be the central driver, they can’t bust through an enemy fleet without their team working the blasters and communications. So everyone, PICK a ship and take off.”_

_Mocha’s team chose the chamber of the virtual S.C.A.M.P.E.R., as each member took their seats. At Mocha’s size, her seat was considerably tiny, and looked as flimsy as a dollhouse chair. She sat awkwardly, but lightly, and gripped the teeny-tiny virtual helmet in her fingers, lightly placing it on her big, messy hair._

_Inside the simulation, the team had already gotten to work, flying across a virtual space in their attempt to shoot down the other teams. “They’ve broken our left engine!” a teammate reported._

_“Darn it, Mocha, where are you, someone’s gotta man these weapons!” the leader yelled._

_“Umm… I’m having some trouble, guys.” Mocha said as she struggled to pull the tiny goggles over her giant, too-far-apart eyes. “Whoooa!” In her awkward sitting position, she wobbled back and crushed the chair under her big butt._

_“Simulation terminated.” With that, the virtual S.C.A.M.P.E.R. shut itself down. “Automatic failure.”_

_“Well, WAY TO GO, Macho!” The leader yelled exasperated._

_“Man, why’d we get stuck with THIS bigbutt?” another teammate retorted._

_As the team stepped out of the chamber, leaving Mocha on the squashed chair, the giant’s confidence began to shrink._

_As the transport ship came to take everyone home for the day, Marcus heard crying coming from one of the corners. He walked around and saw Mocha sitting and facing the ice wall, crying with her eyes in her gloves. “What the heck is this??” the sergeant questioned._

_Mocha sniffled and turned to face him, exposing her massive tears. “I never should’ve joined! I’m just a big-butted freak!” And she went back to crying._

_“You’re gonna bawl up and cry after ONE day?? I’ve seen little girls with WAY more stomach than you; and they were small enough to FIT in my stomach! But I guess even when they’re born oversized, babies are STILL whiny babies with puny stomachs.”_

_She sniffed and looked up with anger. “Come on, you saw how I slowed everyone down! I’m just a big weight that they have to pull around! A big, useless boulder!”_

_“Heh. Then I guess even with that gigantic body, you’re just another helpless brat waiting to be pinned down and noogied by teenagers. Guess I better START!” The teenage sergeant grabbed the back of Mocha’s coat and pulled her down, lying her on her back as he flipped up and prepared to punch down. Mocha raised her hands and grabbed Marcus’s fist in both palms, tossing the sergeant back as she got up. The sergeant charged to throw powerful punches, but Mocha’s giant-sized fists were just as strong against his. Marcus threw both fists, but Mocha caught them in both hands, the two pushing the other with equal strength. “Uuuuuhhh!” After pulling her strength, the bigger child kicked forward and sent Marcus flying back._

_The teenager recovered and rubbed slight blood from his nose, glaring at the giant. “…After 5 years of training these kids… they always had something that slowed them down. But if you give up that easy… then you really are a burden.” And with those words, Marcus walked away. His words, however, were able to reach the giant’s ears._

_The next day of Arctic Training, Mocha returned. Next was the hand-to-hand combat, in which team members were pitted against other team’s members in wrestling rings. “Today is hand-to-hand combat. Should be simple, just beat the crud out of your opponent using whatever martial arts or physical body movements you know.” Mocha looked determined as she faced her normal-sized opponent, who looked fairly worried. “When we’re done here, we’re going to put you in teams again and see how well you fight together. Aaaand… begin!”_

_Mocha immediately charged for her opponent and punched down, breaking the ice and making him jump back. The giant jumped forward and SMASHED him under her humongous form, the boy desperately trying to push her off to breathe. However, Mocha smiled as the boy smothered helplessly. …But she didn’t let him die, of course._

_Now, Mocha was back with her team as they faced their enemy team. They charged forward, and the opposing team immediately piled onto Mocha. Feeling unfazed, the giant ran at a wall and slammed against it, causing her assaulters to fall off. The others were able to tackle their enemies, while Mocha raised her foot above the leader and STOMPED him. “YAAAA-HA-HAAAAOOOW!”_

_“All right, Mochaaaa!” The team cheered, making the giant smile._

_The group returned to the spying challenge as the smaller team members hid from the searchlights. Mocha, however, just charged forward, grabbed the oil drums, and hurled them at the lights to disable them. With the guards too distracted by the giant, the others were able to hurry forward._

It felt so much easier back then. She made use of her size on the field… but, it wasn’t the same. It was so hard to fit in in real life…

“Hey!!”

Mocha looked down and spotted a tiny green-topped object by her broken door. She recognized it as Aeincha, the Lilliputian grinning brightly. “Oh, hey… I’m sorry about sitting on you.”

“Don’t worry! I’m used to it!” she beamed. “Lucky for me, you didn’t have to pass gas!”

“Hm hm hm hm!” But Mocha frowned and stared forward at the wall again.

The tiny Lilliputian ran and hopped her way up Mocha’s giant arm, before reaching her right shoulder and lying on her front, her legs kicked in the air. Aeincha looked like a tiny bug from the giant’s vision, but she could still see her happy face. “What’s wrong, Moch!” she asked perkily. “You look kinda down! And that’s saying a lot, considering my perspective!”

“Well, Aein… I joined the Kids Next Door so I could save kids everywhere from bad people. That was my goal. But… after joining… I kinda had another goal, too. I wanted to show my other friends that, even though we’re giant, we can still fit in like normal kids. I mean, at Punk Hazard, we got along so well with other kids, and our sizes were so different. I wanted to become a great operative so when they heard from me again, they would be inspired and would wanna join the Kids Next Door, too. But… now I’m starting to think… I’m just too _big_ to fit in.”

“Ha ha ha ha! THAT sounds familiar!” Aeincha beamed as she sat up, letting her legs dangle over Mocha’s shoulder.

“Whaddyou mean?”

“Well, back when I was little, er, _younger_ , I was always afraid I couldn’t fit in with normal humans, because I was too tiny. But one day, I walked up to Chimney and Apis, and asked if I could join their game. And they just accepted me like I was a normal person. I couldn’t’ve been more glad. …Then we joined Kids Next Door together, and we were able to complete tons of missions thanks to my size. But if it wasn’t for Chimney or Apis, I never would’ve thought I could fit in so well with everyone. …They’re such great friends.”

“Aeincha, there’s a _big_ difference between you and me: I’m big, _you’re_ tiny. You don’t have to worry about _stepping_ on anyone; instead it’s the other way around. Your friends can just carry you everywhere; you’re not too heavy and you don’t take up much room at all. On spying missions, you’re really easy to hide, and on aerial missions, you don’t weigh the ship down… I’m just a big, giant burden that holds everyone back and crushes all their stuff. …Maybe we should find a way to shrink myself down so-”

“NYYYYAAAAAAAHH!” The two flinched at Chimney’s sudden, big-mouthed scream, finding her and the other members standing in the doorway. The Sector Leader looked angered.

“Mocha… we just came to say we were sorry for getting mad at you.” Apis said. “We know you were just trying to be part of the group, but; you really didn’t need to.”

“I didn’t?”

“No, but hearing that, THIS just changed into something else.” Chimney stated. “Mocha-chan… it’s true, you’re a big burden that can weigh us down, I’ll give you that… but there’s _one_ big rule in Sector W7 you need to know: _everyone_ in Sector W7 is DIFFERENT! We all have something that makes us unique, and we ALL have something that makes us a BURDEN! Take a look at Aeinchan!”

The tiny girl grinned and waved from Mocha’s shoulder.

“She’s freaking tiny! We always gotta worry about stepping on her, and we gotta keep carrying her around. And Aisa-chan! She don’t wear shoes!”

The Nimbi grinned and wiggled her toes.

“Her smelly feet stink up the place! And if there’s a spiky floor or somethin’, one of us gotta carry her. And Apis is a diehard Christian!” 

Apis scratched her head sheepishly.

“She always talks about her religion and it’s annoying! Not to mention she can’t fight for herself, so she gotta rely on animals! Otherwise, we gotta defend her! And April always gotta bring her paint everywhere, so she moves kinda slow, ‘specially since she’s a preteen.”

The 12-year-old kept her emotionless frown, but she agreed with Chimney.

“And me: I’m a freaking loudmouth who’s TOO hyped on soda, and should NEVER be trusted with piloting a SHIP! But I do a heck better job than THESE on’nanokos!” They nodded in agreement. “And I the only one that can SWIM! You know what a burden it is to save all these girls from drowning? But these girls are SPECIAL ‘cause of these things, and YOU should be proud!”

Mocha looked angered, “I wasn’t even BORN this way, Chimney! It was something that was FORCED on me! Why should I be proud of something that was never mine?!”

“Well, I wasn’t born with _my_ powers either.” Apis mentioned. “I got them by accident. But even if it was forced on you, it’s only best that you make good use of it, instead of worrying about how it slows you down.”

“But it slows _you_ all down, too. Why would you all wanna keep something that just gets in your way, stepping on all your things?”

“Oi, Mocha, we’re sorry we got angry at you.” Chimney said. “Ahh, but friends ruin each other’s stuff all the time, why’re you any different? But if you think of changin’ yourself because of that, I AIN’T gonna accept you! We ain’t just losin’ an advantage in offense, but you’ll be lettin’ all your OTHER friends down, too!”

“She’s right, Mocha!” Aeincha spoke up. “If you decide to make yourself normal because of how it slows us down, how will it make your other friends feel?? Didn’t you just say you wanted to prove to them that you could fit in?”

“Oi, yeah, Mochan!” Chimney followed. “How d’you know if the OTHER giant-chans aren’t having trouble fitting in with normal kids?? You probly their inspiration or something! Who’re they gonna believe in if you just doubt yourself like that??”

Looking back, Chimney was right. Mocha really did make that promise to her friends. But she just wasn’t sure how… she couldn’t play videogames, she’s a big, easy-to-hit target… even if she surpassed in strength, it still didn’t feel like much.

“If you ask me, Mocha, you should be glad this happened to you.” Chimney stated. “Be glad you can’t play games or hold a bow or do any of that other stuff, ‘cause you got your own thing. Being this way makes you and your friends different, ‘cause who wants to be like everyone else??”

Mocha released a deep, angered sigh and faced the wall again, her arms folded. “I just don’t understand you sometimes, Chimney.”

“What you MEAN you don’t understand me?! What’m I speaking another LANGUAGE or something?? ¿Es usted un loco o algo así??” She looked at the camera and said, “Although my voice actor _does_ portray a lot of Spanish characters. And _I’m_ supposed to be Japanese. The POINT is, Mocha, just because you can’t play most games with us, it doesn’t mean you can’t fit in! We all have our weak points, but we ALSO got strong points! In YOUR case, your giant size makes you insanely strong! So makin’ yourself littler, we not only lose our advantage in strength, you be breakin’ your own vow and abandonin’ your other friends who are still GIANT!”

Mocha released another sigh and faced the wall. Chimney really was a weird person… being glad her friends had things that held them back. But she did make her feel a little better, though… and she was right. Mocha did vow to show her friends how useful their giant size could be. And maybe she was giving up too easy, like Marcus said. After all, she just started her career as an operative. And she made it the way she is now: a giant. “Hmmm… maybe you’re right, Chimney.”

“’COURSE I’m right! I’m ALWAYS right! Except when I’m wrong. But NOT in this!”

“Gyom, gyom!” Gonbe agreed.

“Hoh, Chimney.” Mocha sighed in disbelief.

“Come on, whaddya say we go out for ice cream!” Apis grinned. “Ice cream always lightens up bad tensions!”

“YAH! And we all treatin’ Mocha to a 20 gallon! That’s an order!” Chimney declared.

“Sounds fine by me!” Aisa grinned.

“Will tiny bucks count?” Aeincha joked. All the girls but Mocha laughed happily.

“Well, come on, Mocha!” Apis yelled as the others hurried away. Mocha looked at Aeincha, still on her shoulder, as the tiny girl gave a wide grin. “Hm hm hm!” Mocha gave a light chuckle and ran after her friends.

**Outside; ice cream stand**

“A 20-gallon bowl?” the skinny teen boy at the stand asked. “No one’s ever been able to stomach one of those. I mean, we’ll make it for you, but it’s gonna cost ya.”

“Ahhh, it costs us either way, just whip it up!” Chimney demanded.

“Heh heh. Okay.” With that, he left to the backroom.

“Hm hm hm!” Mocha chuckled. “Thanks guys, I appreciate it. But you really didn’t need to.”

“Oi, will you STOP sayin’ that?!” Chimney yelled. “If we wanna do somethin’ for ya, we’ll do it! So SHUT IT UUUP!”

“Siiiigh.” Mocha sighed humorously.

“Hm-hm-hm! You’ll get used to Chimney, eventually!” Aeincha assured, still seated on the giant’s shoulder.

“Hm hm! I already have.” Mocha smiled as she stared up at the sunny sky. “You know, I think I’ve been feeling too negative lately. I give up too easily on things, only after the first day. I need to be strong and look at the positive things. The good things I can do with being a giant.”

“Like what?”

“Hey, where ya goin’, Shrimp?!” The girls turned around and saw a group of bullies terrorizing a small boy. “You haven’t paid my 20 bucks!”

“Awww, but my mom only gives me 3.40!”

Mocha and Aeincha exchanged spiteful looks.

“Doesn’t matter! I can think of ANOTHER way to pay!” the bully fist-palmed.

“Hey, bigheads!” The trio of thugs turned and found the teeny Aeincha glaring up at them. “How would YOU feel being bullied by someone bigger than you??”

They exchanged smug looks and looked intimidatingly. “Oh, and how are YOU gonna fill that place? TINY!”

“Not _me_ , but my FRIEND will!”

“Pah! I’ll give your friend a double-quadruple knuckle sandwich with a side of-” However, the bullies flinched when the ground quaked. They looked with fear as Mocha towered behind Aeincha, the giant smirking as she cracked her knuckles.

“Sounds yummy! Can it have extra ketchup??”

“…Uuuuhhh…” And the bullies were gone in a flash.

“Phew! Thanks, Giant Girl!” the boy exclaimed before hurrying away.

Mocha and Aeincha exchanged bright smiles. “Like that!” Mocha said.

“Ha ha ha! Those bullies better watch their butts! Well, let’s go see how that ice cream’s comin’!” With that, Aeincha ran off.

As Mocha watched her leave, she smiled, feeling pride in what she just did. She just saved an innocent kid from aggressive bullies. The very reason she joined the Kids Next Door. And all thanks to her giant size.

_“Well, Team Seven, you guys’ve shown significant progress after your rocky start.” Marcus said to Mocha’s team. “I guess it shows what happens when you look at things from a different angle.” He spared a glance to a smiling Mocha. “Alright, see you all tomorrow.” He walked by the other kids, most of whom had bones broken due to being trounced by Mocha._

_“Hey, Mocha… we’re sorry about getting mad at you earlier.” The leader said._

_“Sorry for calling you a bigbutt.” The one kid said._

_“It’s okay, guys.” She smiled. “I’m just happy I could be helpful. But if I actually graduate, I’m worried I might hold my team down.” She frowned. “Training isn’t the same as the real thing, you know.”_

_“Ehhh, I’m sure it’ll be fine.” The leader assured. “Even if you weigh us down a lot… all that matters is you weigh the OTHER team down, too.” They spared a glance to the other kids with crushed bones._

_“Ha ha ha! True that!” Mocha beamed._

“Hm hm hm!” Mocha chuckled at the memory. She couldn’t wait to squish other enemies. …This whole giant thing may become a bad habit for her. Oh well.

“Heeeeey Mochaaaaa!” Chimney cried as the W7 members shoved over a giant bowl of ice cream. “We spent a good chunk of our allowances buyin’ this, you gonna help eat it or what??”

“Gyom-gyoooom!”

“Hm hm hm! Sure thing!” And the seven friends began feasting on the tasty delicacy, with Mocha gobbling the majority. Sure enough, Mocha looked the most out of place of all of them, and would certainly be the one to earn them weird looks. But she was delighted to have friends to share those weird looks with.

 

**Hooo, so yeah, not very exciting, I mean the whole conflict was resolved with pretty much talking, just like the ending of _Twilight_. But I think it’s something we all can relate to, trying to fit in, but we can’t. But the philosophy of Sector W7 is, accept your friends’ limitations and down traits, and show that you still care for them. Soooo next time, we will return to _NECSUS_ and likely get started on Amazonia. Yeah, more _One Piece_ crossovers. XP We thought _Kid Icarus_ was annoying. Later.**


	6. A Wrinkle in Space-Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nebula and Vweeb meet with Professor Pollyx at the Great Library. There, he shows them a curious rift. Meanwhile, somebody lends secret aid to Sector V...

**Hokay guys, Spring Break is here, so hopefully I can update more. But, I never do. :/ Anyhoo, now other characters will have roles. So let’s watch!**

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Chapter 5: A Wrinkle in Space-Time

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**Star Haven**

“Motherrr? I’m home.” Jerome called as he entered his house. The Jamaican-Zathurian boy was surprised to see his house in total ruin, as if a burglary took place. He stepped toward the remains of the couch, finding a simple videotape in its place. He picked it up curiously and read the label. “Hm?…”

**Great Clock**

The King Family went to sleep for the night(?), and things were peaceful within this gigantic space station. Jagar and Misty had their own room, while George and MaKayla had their own, but separate beds. But MaKayla’s eyes suddenly came open, glowing an unrealistic blue. The timebender threw her covers off and stepped out of bed, dressed only in her sleek blue nightgown and bare feet, her pinkish-blond hair hanging down. Her brother still snored away as MaKayla left through the slide-open doors. She entered her parents’ room nonchalantly, her glowing blue eyes alighting the darkness of their room. She took Jagar’s Chrono Staff and left, leaving her parents to snore away.

**Planet Chamber**

“Let’s see, recalibrate the quantum energy stabilizers, rewire hologram projectors…” Sigmund mumbled as he rapidly fixed one of many hologram projectors. He didn’t notice MaKayla walking in from behind, making no sound since she didn’t wear shoes. “Ahh, that should do it- AHH!” Sigmund turned around and flinched seeing the glowy-eyed girl wielding the staff. “H-Hey! What’re you doing with that?? That’s not a toy, Little Girl!” The child ignored him and continued up the path on the right. “Hey! W-Where are you going? Don’t ignore me when I’m talking to you!”

MaKayla stopped before a hologram of Planet Aquaria. With a twirl of the staff, she forced its handle into a small compartment, creating a time portal. “H-Hey! Wait!” She ignored Sigmund’s calls as she stepped inside and vanished.

**Aquaria Drophyd Base; 1 week ago**

MaKayla dropped behind a wall of metal crates, peeking out at the fleet of parked Drophyd ships. Hundreds of the armored fish beings stood guard outside. “When is Tachyon going to be back with our new shipment of Raritanium?” one asked.

“He said he’ll come when he does. He’s got an invasion on Coruscant scheduled for next week; not sure why. But he’ll have to bring it by then if he wants our help.”

MaKayla skimmed the field, but didn’t see any way of getting past all those guards. She clutched her staff in both hands and closed her eyes, channeling the energy. A light circle surrounded her, making a ticking sound, before she immediately dashed out in the open. “Hu-Hey! Intruder!” The Drophyds began firing, but MaKayla swiftly leaped and bounced off all their helmets, then landed and dashed across the field. She swung her staff and bashed their suits, and soon the whole army engaged pursuit. MaKayla looked nervously as they surrounded her, and as the storm of lasers came, she slammed her staff’s handle to the ground.

The world flashed, and MaKayla was instantly behind the metal crates, 20 seconds ago. A green, holographic clone appeared, and immediately ran out into the open to attract all the Drophyds’ attention. The clone performed the same exact swift motions, evading all of the Drophyds and dashing across the field. While it did so, the real MaKayla was able to step out undetected. Her glowing blue eyes skimmed the field, before a particular ship caught her interest. She could see it in space, catching Sector V’s ship in its hull.

MaKayla hurried onto the ship, hiding behind crates from the Drophyds’ vision. She waited for the patrolling guards to face opposite ways, allowing her to dash past and into the next room. She made her way to the control deck, where two more Drophyds were curiously staring outside. “What’re they chasing?”

“Some little girl just ran onto the field.”

“What is she crazy?”

“Must be one of those galactic kids.”

“See, _this_ is why parents need to control their kids.”

MaKayla charged a small, blue sphere in her palm and tossed it between the Drophyds. The Time Bomb exploded in a huge sphere that encased them, slowing their time. She quickly ran in, swiped one of their blasters, and ran out before they could notice.

MaKayla hurried into the nearby prison room and studied the three cells. Her blue eyes faced the leftmost one, seeing Sector V trapped behind its barrier. MaKayla stepped into the vacant cell and burned a rectangle around a particular spot with the blaster. With that, she ran back, slipped the Drophyd back his weapon, and ran out before the Time Bomb wore off. “I mean, let me tell you about this one guy, he let his kid have beer, and then…”

MaKayla made it to a hallway and looked both ways, making sure no one was looking. With another twirl of the staff, a Time Gate opened, allowing MaKayla to return to the present.

**Drophyd flagship; present time**

Drophyd troops stood guard around the ship as Tachyon marched into the hangar on his walking throne. “I’m flying back to Coruscant to check with my new employee. See to it those kids get to Zordoom with no hassles. I’ll email you if there are any changes in plan. Farewell.” With that, Tachyon opened the matter in one of the ships and stepped inside, closing the matter as he took off from the transport vessel.

In their prison cell, Dillon and Mason paced back and forth in boredom, Chris scraped a quarter against the barrier, while the others just sat against the wall. Aurora, Chris, and the other benders were wearing chi-blocking cuffs, because bending cheats. “You think the prison food’s decent?” Aurora asked.

“I doubt they have fishsticks.” Chris said.

When Aurora walked and stepped on a certain floor panel- “Huh?” she felt it creak. She yanked the piece of the floor off, unveiling the wires beneath. “Hey, I wonder if these connect to the ship’s computer? Vanellope could hack in and make the Drophyds change their flight course to someplace we can escape.”

“Why can’t we just bust out of here and kick all their butts?” Dillon asked.

“Do _you_ wanna fight a swarm of fish in robot suits, Chi-block?”

“Well… okay.”

“Good thing they didn’t put cuffs on Vanellope.” Chris said. “Though I wonder if they would work.”

“No time to find out.” Vanellope said confidently as she stepped over the wires. “Step aside and let the Glitch work its magic.” With that, she touched the wires and digitized through them.

**Tachyon’s Network; Drophyd Ship Flight Paths**

Vanellope materialized in a small, blue corridor. She skimmed the area, noting she was in the virtual world, before stepping forward to do her mission. _“Zoni.”_ She stopped in surprise when the familiar black aliens floated before her.

“Hey… You’re the little things that brought my memory back.”

_“The Day of Destinies draws near. The journey will commence, when the first Light alights. We are here to assist you, until time comes.”_

“Ummmm… okay?”

“All will be made clear, in time. Let us help you to save the Light, for now.” And the Zoni flew away, leaving a baffled Vanellope. (Play “Clank and the Zoni” from _Ratchet: Tools of Destruction_.)

 

_Stage 3: Drophyd Flight Paths_

_Mission: Alter the course of the ship that holds Sector V._

Vanellope passed the short hallway and reached a small balcony, overlooking an expansive view of virtual ships flying along thin beams of light; likely the flight paths. She passed down a path on the left, leading down into a room where a small ship-like platform moved from a hole in the right wall, to the left wall, then restarted, moving along a light path. She hopped onto a platform at level with the ship, but the next foothold was too high up.

She noticed some Zoni on the floor below and jumped down to get them. _“Zoni.”_ She led them back onto the platform, where they unveiled a secret computer in the floor. Vanellope sat down and started to hack the computer, typing the secret code ‘Diagon Ally.’ The light path tilted upward and around the room in diagonal segments (it was probably ‘diagonally,’ actually). Vanellope hopped on the platform as it carried her upward, allowing her to jump onto the ledge and exit the building.

She reached an outer area, where high above, train-ships were carrying virtual boxes along set light paths, designed like train tracks, while on the floor below, the tracks were vacant, and the doors were closed. Vanellope jumped to the tracks below, where a swarm of Tachy-drones, security drones designed like Tachyon’s head, emerged from the floor and started blasting Vanellope. The glitchy girl zipped around to bounce off their heads while the Zoni launched energy balls and destroyed them. The Tachy-drones kept trying to blast her, but she zipped between several of them and caused them to blast each other.

They easily bested the other drones as Vanellope dodged over to the other side of the tracks. The Zoni unveiled another computer hidden in the wall, which Vanellope began to hack. She had to enter two codes, which were ‘Math trains’ and ‘By 10:30am.’ The trains up above stopped coming as the doors shut, and the trains on this lower floor began to come and go. Vanellope was able to jump onto their cargo, then spotted another group of Zoni above the set of doors where she found the computer. She rode a train to that ledge and jumped on to call the Zoni. _“Zoni.”_

She noticed a high platform at level with the top of the huge cargo, so Vanellope used the trains to reach that platform. A bottomless chasm separated her and the next foothold, but there were three floating lights, called Zone Lights, leading a trail. Three Zoni floated into these lights, and Vanellope was able to glitch across them. She reached the wide, expansive field that led to the huge building where ships were flying in and out. She reached an even wider chasm with more Zone Lights leading across, scattered. The new amount of Zoni got in place of each of them, letting her zip across as a pixelly beam.

She hurried to the building and ran up the stairs to the front door. Inside was a small room with a chasm below, and two more ship-platforms: both came into the room at equal level, but one’s path slanted down, while the other’s went up. On Vanellope’s right was a platform where the Zoni unveiled another computer. She entered the code ‘Upty-Yupty’ and caused the beam from the right wall to redirect straight up, making the platform tilt vertically to float up there.

She then had to take a left route, getting across the chasm by glitching to the Zoni on Zone Lights, then was ambushed by a Tachy-drone. It managed to damage her, but the Zoni shot beams at it before Vanellope glitched up and kicked it into the chasm. The Zoni helped her reach the next platform, where they found the computer. This one’s code was ‘Downy-Frowny,’ which also made the left light beam direct straight up. The two sets of platforms were now exactly parallel with each other, allowing Vanellope to get between two and Wall Jump up as they went. At the top, the Zoni got onto two more lights to let Vanellope glitch to the platform.

She reached an outer area, overlooking the field she just crossed. The Zoni unveiled another computer as Vanellope entered the code ‘Classic Platform.’ A set of small platforms began moving left-and-right and up-and-down, which Vanellope bounced across to reach higher up the building. She reached a point that was level with a light path on the building’s left side, where more platform-ships were coming out. Vanellope jumped on one and let it carry her across the chasm. It was leading her to the dead-end wall, but the parallel ships were too far and too high to jump to. Thankfully, a set of Zone Lights made a trail, allowing Vanellope to quickly glitch up to a passing platform.

This brought her back to the building, but on a higher level so she can reach the next ledge. She stepped up a slope into the building, finding herself in the central control room. A group of Drophyd Enforcers appeared along with average Drophyd Troopers, beginning to shoot the Program girl. Vanellope glitched onto one of the Enforcers and tinkered with his programming, causing him to aimlessly shoot the normal troopers. “Hey, it’s just like taking control of an Imperial Walker!”

She glitched off to let it fall in the central chasm, then swiftly dodged another one’s shots. Vanellope zipped all around its four legs, making the cockpit spin and shoot rapidly. It ended up shooting its own legs and toppling over. The rest of the Drophyds tried to attack, but the Zoni surrounded and confused the virtual fish, shocking and derezzing them.

With the enemies cleared, Vanellope was able to reach the main computer that organized the flight paths. This computer was slightly more difficult to hack, but she was able to evade the security programs. She entered the codes ‘Schedule’, ‘Immediately’, and ‘Strictness.’ Once she broke in, she located the ship that held Sector V, seeing it was set for Zordoom Prison. “Lessee, there’s gotta be some planet we can fly to…” She skimmed a list of planets and found one of interest. “Oooh, Amazonia! That sounds cool!” With that, she clicked the planet and altered the schedule. “Gee, I hope altering all those paths didn’t cause too much trouble.”

**Across the galaxy**

Cargo and prisoner ships continued to fly about the stars, casually following their schedule. Suddenly, the schedules became altered, and ships began crashing and piling on each other aimlessly. Some of the trains instantly came to a stop, and all the ones behind them crashed in a chain reaction.

**Back in cyberspace**

“Ehhh… probably not that bad. Hehehahahah.” Vanellope cackled. (End song.)

Vanellope brushed her hands and was ready to rematerialize to her friends. However, the Zoni flew in front and surprised her. _“We leave you for now. Be cautious on your journey… and keep the Light safe.”_ The Zoni flew away, leaving the candy girl baffled. She shrugged it off and glitched into the computer to return to her friends.

**Coruscant; former Jedi Council H.Q.**

“Snoooore… shooo. Snooore… shoooo.” The clown scientist had fallen fast asleep, a snot bubble puffing in-and-out of his nose.

“WAKE UP!”

“WAH!” Tachyon bashed Caesar’s head and startled him awake. Vendra was standing behind the emperor. “Oh, hey, Bug-guy! How’d the big election go?? Did you become mayor??”

“Save the Joker banter. Hope your time in prison didn’t lose your touch, ‘cause you’re going back in business.” With that, Tachyon used his powers to scatter Caesar’s chi-cuffs into matter.

“SHUROroro!” Caesar stretched his arms and hovered in the air as the gassy coat reappeared over his form. “I’m finally FREEEE! THANK you, Tachy! Now to get back to Punk Hazard and- GYAAAAH!” He suddenly suffered a painful shock, falling to the ground.

“You’ll only be working for ONE customer now.” Tachyon stated, holding a remote control. “During your subconscious, I had Vendra here teleport microscopic shock-droids into your bloodstream. Inside your blood, they’ve penetrated the Logia defenses’ limits, making you vulnerable. From now on, you’ll only produce Bang Gas FOR ME, in the special factory I’ve had designed for you.”

“Are you MAD?? I can’t give gas to just one person! I’m a FREE BIRD… GOAT… thing. I need to make and sell Bang Gas to all the people who need it, lest my customers- GYAAAAH!” Another shock.

“Maybe on Punk Hazard, but in MY galaxy, you live under the rule of the Tachyon Elite. Drophyds: show my servant to his new quarters. I expect 50 cans of the substance by tomorrow.”

He rematerialized the cuffs on Caesar’s wrists as the Drophyds led the angered scientist away. Tachyon then turned to the squadron of Drophyd troops watching him. “Okay, the takeover of Galaxia was a success.” The Drophyd Leader stated. “It’s time for your payment.”

“Sure, sure. Haul it in.”

Neftin stomped in, pulling a huge, black asteroid. Tachyon channeled his powers and scattered the matter of the iron-hard asteroid, unveiling bright-purple, glowing crystals which he passed to the Drophyds. “There you go. A fresh batch of Raritanium. Now listen up! Somewhere in this cosmos lies the parts I need to create the ultimate weapon. The weapon that was used to banish my people long ago. We must get ahold of that weapon and spread our forces even farther. And with a pureblood Zathurian in our possession, we’re only halfway completed with our journey.”

**Planet Bespin; Cloud City**

Nebula, Vweeb, and Pollyx entered the atmosphere of Bespin, the sun setting over the ocean of clouds as they soared over the sky-high city. “Your hideout is in Cloud City?” Nebula asked.

“Yes, though it’s not exactly ‘hidden’ well.” Pollyx said. “Tachyon had his troops overrun the place, so I haven’t been able to get in. It’s the Great Library of Galaxia.”

“The greatest source of knowledge in the solar system?” Vweeb asked.

“To an extent, yes. But lately, there’s been weird activity occurring over Cloud City. There are strange space-time disruptions appearing in certain areas. I have a theory about what’s causing them, but-” The ship shook suddenly upon impact of laser fire.

 _“Attention, aircraft. You are carrying wanted fugitives aboard your vessel and you are ordered to land and surrender yourselves.”_ They looked outside as Drophyd ships flew after them.

“Ohhhh. I’ll never make it to the library with them on my hide. Eh- you’ll have to meet me there; you’ll understand, right?”

“Understand wh-AAAAAAHH!” The baldheaded alien opened a trapdoor and sent the two plummeting to the midair surface. (Play the “Stratus City” theme from _Ratchet: Tools of Destruction_.)

 

_Stage 4: Cloud City_

_Mission: Make it to Galaxia’s Great Library._

_Act 1_

Nebula crashed through a pile of boxes, recovering dizzily as Vweeb bounced off her head, then onto a wood shard. A walkie-talkie then came down and bonked Nebula’s head, knocking her dizzy again. _“To keep in touch.”_ Pollyx’s voice was heard.

They then looked as Jane Jetson emerged next to them from the pile. “Did _your_ husband drop you, too?” she asked angrily. They looked up as a small dollar floated down on top of her.

Nebula grabbed Vweeb and jumped out of the pile as they began their journey across the first road of Cloud City, having to jump a few floating platforms. Some Drophyd troops hovered over the cloudy chasm and blasted them, but Nebula whipped out her S.H.O.O.T.E.R. and shot them back. Vweeb used his Stun gun to shoot a Drophyd and cause him to plummet to the clouds, so the other soldiers decided to fly at Nebula head-on. She swiftly ducked and kicked up, denting one of their jetshoes and causing him to fly into another soldier. Nebula dodged the last soldier’s blasts before tossing a grenade and blowing his armor up.

The two continued to a small street bustling with people, in which the next path was higher than the building tops, and the platform that levitated between levels was up there, disabled. Without Nebula’s powers, she couldn’t just fly up there, and there was no other way up. However, Vweeb noticed a waterspout on one of the buildings, so the little guy jumped off Neb’s shoulder and entered, climbing up the inside. He made it atop the buildings and was able to cross a wire leading to the next path. From there, he got onto the platform and crawled into an opening to fix up the wires. The device floated down to Nebula, who jumped on and let it take her up.

Nebula jumped across a set of more platforms. A giant TV hovered over the chasm on their left, showing Tachyon’s image. _“As parents of Galaxia, it is your sworn duty to erase any fun ideas your children may have about GKND. Remember to confiscate all their toy spaceships and laser devices, and educate them the duties of a loyal, will-free citizen under an authoritarian rule. If your child is clean, boring, or acting like a zombie, you’ll know you’re doing a good job.”_

The two reached a wider city area, where they jumped at the sound of an explosion. They looked left as a tall building toppled down, ready to crush them. “AAAAAHH!”

But when the building was inches from crushing them, it suddenly froze in place. They looked around and saw the area they were in was caught inside some kind of blue beam. “What’re we being abducted?” Vweeb asked.

“I…I don’t know.” They watched as the building rewinded and fixed back onto place. They closed their eyes when it exploded and fell over again, but it stopped in place again before rewinding.

“Umm… Did someone break Father Time?” Vweeb asked.

“Something’s going on here.” She noticed that when the building fell, the fire escape was close enough for her to reach. She grabbed and climbed on when the building returned to normal. Only a few parts of the stairwell had railing, so Nebula had to quickly stand on those when the building fell over, or else she’d fall. She was able to make it on top, overlooking a fleet of traffic. The traffic was also caught in the time beam, moving forward, slowing, moving backward, slowing, then forward again. Nebula proceeded to jump across the flying cars, timing her jumps carefully due to the forward-backward pattern.

She reached another open square, where the citizens immediately retreated to their houses when some Drophyd troops landed. An Enforcer appeared in the center of the square, which Nebula began to throw grenades at its legs. It jumped high in the sky, but Nebula dodge-rolled before it crushed her, then Vweeb leapt off her shoulder to start jumping up its legs. He easily crouched into an opening on the legs’ base and started messing with the wires.

Nebula went to battle the other Drophyds, easily dodging their gunfire as she fired back. One of the Drophyds charged at her to try and smash her with its shield, but when she dodged, the Drophyd was crushed by the aimless-walking Enforcer. Vweeb hopped out of the robot and onto Nebula, letting its top portion blow off and crushed another Drophyd. The last two flew beside each other and readied to shoot, but Nebula smirked as she jumped between and tricked them into shooting each other.

The two climbed onto a ledge and overlooked another wide chasm, another city street on the other side. A Drophyd Transport Ship was flying by, but it lost control and exploded over the chasm. The Drophyd troops screamed as they were about to plummet, but another strange beam appeared and froze them in place. Their bodies didn’t move an inch, though their eyes looked around confused. The Drophyds served as convenient platforms for them to hop across.

They reached the next street and turned a left corner, where the Great Library of Galaxia stood in their vision. They saw Pollyx’s ship parked outside and hurried up the wide stairway to the entrance. (Play “Hall of Knowledge” from _Tools of Destruction_.)

_Act 2: Great Library of Galaxia_

The library was a humongous domain of towering bookshelves, each filled with thousands of books containing knowledge of the universe. The two passed between one of many aisles to reach a stairway, leading to a narrow hallway. Turrets emerged from the walls and floor, forcing Nebula to dodge quickly as she shot back. _“Warning: You are trespassing on restricted property. By order of Emperor Percival Tachyon, all unauthorized personnel will be exterminated.”_

 _“Ehh, perhaps I should’ve warned you about the traps.”_ Pollyx said from the communicator.

“You think??” Nebula yelled.

She and Vweeb swiftly dodged the security turrets before turning down a left wall, in which the walls were parallel bookshelves. There was a dead end ahead, and along the way, books were zipping back-and-forth between shelves like bullets. However, they noticed the flying books leading upward to a path above the dead end, so Vweeb began to quickly jump his way up. He reached the path and saw a switch on the wall above, jumping up to forcefully press it. The books stopped flying as a staircase formed, allowing Nebula to get up. She grabbed Vweeb as they continued to a ledge, high above a lower floor. The next hallway was towards the left, and the only things leading across were chandeliers on the ceiling. Nebula was able to use a G.R.A.P.P.L.U.H. to swing across and easily reach the path.

_“Second warning: Turn back now or face destruction. We know you’ve already seen the original game, so you know we aren’t planning to do anything remotely horrible, but you should still act like a reasonable person and turn back now, regardless.”_

They had to drop to a lower floor of the hall as water began to rise from drains below. “What kinda freakin’ library is this??” Nebula questioned. She quickly jumped up some platforms where the hall made a left turn, then swung some G.R.A.P.P.L.U.H. targets as the water rose faster. She had to Wall Jump a set of parallel vertical platforms before the hall made a right turn. A group of Breegus Wasps flew their way, and the only way up was to jump across them. However, Nebula made a wrong jump and ended up falling into the water, with Vweeb quickly climbing on her head. She decided to swim along with it, but when she tried to climb on the platforms, the water easily caught up with her. She sucked in breath and tossed Vweeb into her mouth before the water rose to the ceiling, and they were submerged.

Nebula swam as fast as she could, but she struggled to hold her breath in since she was still worn from all this jumping. With Vweeb in her mouth, she definitely couldn’t open, otherwise he would drown even faster. Thankfully, she seemed to reach the hall’s exit, with the door sealed by a switch on the floor. She forced her hands against the switch, taking a lot of strength with all the intervening water, but managed to press it and open the way. She swam into a small room as the door closed, and the water sunk down the drain before the next door opened.

“HUUUU!” Nebula gasped for breath, as did Vweeb, who stood on her tongue.

“Hoo!” He waved his hand by his nose. “GKND Leader isn’t a position for hygiene, huh?” Vweeb remarked.

She grabbed and set him on her shoulder before walking forward. They appeared inside a slightly wide room with Pollyx across from them. They hurried over, eager to hear his story. (End song.)

“Terrific, you’re finally here!” he perked as they walked over.

“How were you able to get through all that?” Nebula asked.

“Oh, eh… I took my secret entrance. R-Reserved for Terachnoids. Ehh, perhaps I should’ve mentioned…”

“Well, you could’ve at LEAST turned the defenses off!!” Nebula yelled.

“The defenses are necessary. Tachyon only trusts this library in our hands, so I need them to keep his soldiers out. I mean, I’m certain the Kids Next Door have more than their share of defenses, eh hehehehe…” They looked disbelieved. “Ehhh… Now then… I believe our first meeting went rather rushed. Let’s engage in a more formal greeting… Ahem: I am Professor Pollyx, President of Pollyx Industries. We research supernatural phenomena and all the deep secrets of the universe. Our most intricately researched topic is the Great Clock. The Great Clock is a tremendous space station that channels all of the Time Energy of the universe. It’s the most important structure in our balance. But recently, the structure has been malfunctioning, sending time distortions to areas all across the universe.”

“And that’s why those areas back there were all… screwy.” Nebula deduced.

“Exactly. We’re not sure _what_ is happening… but we’ve hardly had time to study it. Our company was taken over by MomCorp, as per Tachyon’s orders.”

“Mom?” Vweeb asked. “You mean the big business tycoon who makes mostly robots and other inventions?”

“The very same. Somehow, Tachyon is able to acquire vast amounts of Raritanium, which he gives to Mom to build her robots. In return, Mom allows him the use of her resources. After she took us over, she and Tachyon have been using our research to dive into the deepest secrets of Space itself. For instance…”

“Hm?” Nebula cocked a brow.

“Do not forget, Time and Space are very interconnected. Distortions in time are not the only thing being caused by the Great Clock. Come this way… there’s something you may like to see.”

Pollyx led them to a wide, vacant wall. The two kids stared confusedly, but as Nebula stepped closer, they gaped when a huge, pink crack revealed itself. “Wh…What is it?” Nebula spoke.

“There is a legend that tells of a dimension which exists in the confines of Space itself. In that place, Space Energy is incredibly powerful, but thanks to the distortions caused by the Great Clock, it’s begun to reveal itself. We’ve called this place the Netherverse, and have deduced it as the homeworld of Vendra and Neftin Prog.”

“So… _this_ is where they came from?”

“The two bare resemblance to the dimensional race of Nethers, but they also exhibit traits of Mobians, which is why Neftin looks like an ape. And while these Space Rifts happened recently, Vendra and Neftin have been residents of Galaxia for some time. As children, they resided in Meero Orphanage on Forest Moon Endor. But that isn’t important: your spacebending was stolen by Vendra, correct?”

“Um, yeah?…”

“In the realm that exists within space, I believe may lie a way to obtain your spacebending back. After all, the realm is flowing with energy, it should be able to help. Of course… the realm is dangerous, too. You’ve seen how Vendra and Neftin are; the Nethers inside will tear you molecule by molecule.”

“Well, it’s worth a shot.” Nebula decided as she set Vweeb down. “Wish me luck.” And before Vweeb had a chance to object, the half-Zathurian jumped inside. (Play “Clank in the Netherverse” from _Ratchet: Into the Nexus_.)

**Netherverse**

Nebula found herself in an endless, dark-pink dimension, made up of only flat, floating rocks. The dimension looked rather eerie, and her body felt very light. The first asteroid she could jump to was very far, but the gravity was weak enough to jump the great distance. She kept this up for the next bit of platforms, but black holes appeared at low and high points, forcing Nebula to keep her jumps at the right level. The next set of platforms were vertical and far spread out, so Nebula had to Wall Jump carefully.

Nebula landed on a safe platform, but the next set were flipping. Nebula decided to jump to the first one, and when she did, the gravity allowed her to stand on its flat surface. She waited for it to aim her at the next one so she could jump to it, lest she jumps into empty space. After reaching another right-side-up platform, the next set of footholds led downward, to a larger island. Nebula decided to skip the platforms and drop to the island, since the gravity slowed her fall. She landed lightly on her feet as expected, finding a floating, glowing pink sphere on this island.

Nebula carefully reached and touched the sphere, and instantly absorbed the pink light inside of her. She looked confused when her body stopped glowing, but a few glowing spheres appeared above, leading back to the platforms which would otherwise be too high to jump. Nebula snapped her fingers, and these glowing spheres grew into Space Blocks. “Mmmm!” She smiled victoriously, having gained a power back.

**Nebula can create _Space Blocks_! Whenever she sees glowing balls of light, she can conjure platforms in those areas!**

Nebula was about to jump to the first block, but- “Huh?”

 _“Grrrrr.”_ A venomous growl was heard from a cave behind where the sphere was. A glowing, pink energy monster crawled out, its mouth made completely of triangular teeth. _“GRAGRA GRAHGRAH GRAGRA GRAHGRAH!”_ (Play “Netherverse Chase” from _Into the Nexus_.)

“AAAAHH!” Nebula immediately jumped her way up the platforms as the Nether flew after, barking furiously. She wished the gravity didn’t move her so slow, but she was able to make it up the platforms. She entered the region of spinning gravity platforms, but she didn’t have time to focus on where to jump, her heart racing as the Nether’s barking drew closer. She jumped the moment she saw the next platform, just barely landing on it. She quickly Wall Jumped the vertical platforms and reached the black hole region. The Nether got so close, she barely dodged the black holes, jumping the platforms aimlessly to get away.

She made it to the platform before the exit, but before she could jump there, the platform suddenly sank. She conjured a Space Block partway up, but looked frantic as the Nether flew straight down for her. She waited ‘til it was close enough, then quickly jumped past and onto the Space Block. She conjured another one to jump up higher, then was finally able to reach the island with the Space Rift.

**Great Library**

Vweeb and Pollyx jumped in surprise when Nebula shot through the rift, the three gasping when the Nether’s head popped through. _“GRRRAAAAAAH!”_ The Nether swelled like a balloon, and exploded. (End song.)

“As I expected.” Pollyx stated. “Nethers can’t survive outside of their own dimension. Their bodies are so adapted to the limited gravity of their dimension, the weight is much too strong for them to handle here. But it seems the explosion has caused the rift to vanish.”

“Along with the wall it was on.” Vweeb noted.

“But hey… I got one of my powers back!” Nebula said excitedly, staring at her hand.

“Yes, but the energy has only filled part of your chi-paths. Your spacebending is limited. I mean, games can’t be too easy. But you should be able to get by for now.”

“So, wait… what does Tachyon want with the Netherverse?” she asked.

“I don’t exactly know. It may be why he’s working with Vendra. Regardless… Tachyon is looking for something. Something that will help him harness the powers of Space. And whatever that is… it may have something to do with your mother.”

“My… mom?” Nebula looked worried.

“Yes… I overheard Tachyon when I was at Coruscant. He called Neftin and ordered him to capture Dimentia.”

“Oh no!” Nebula gasped. “We have to get home!”

“Hold on! I have something for you!” Pollyx led them into a secret door, behind the wall that was destroyed by the Space Rift.

Inside was a small chamber with a black, R.O.A.D.S.T.A.R.-like ship, with a line painted across like a shooting star, facing closed hangar doors. “My son is in the GKND. He’s been making this for you. He calls it the Shooting Star. When Tachyon took over our company, I knew I would be helping you, so I quickly fixed it up. It’s one of the fastest ships Terachnoid technology has to offer; you can make it home in a blast!”

“Then let’s go.” Nebula said, hopping into the cockpit with Vweeb on her shoulder. “Our course is set straight for Star Haven.” She started to press buttons and start it up.

“But, hold on.” Vweeb spoke up. “Why’re you helping us?” he asked Pollyx.

The scientist shook his head. “My people pursue knowledge for knowledge’s sake. But Mom and Tachyon… they use it for evil desires. I want to stop them… and I also believe, that with _your_ help, our studies will be able to dive deeper. I wish to examine further the secrets of Space, too… but I can never study peacefully with Tachyon staring over our shoulder. So please… save your mother. Find a way to stop him.”

Nebula nodded seriously as the windshield covered her seat. The hangar doors opened as the ship lifted off, and shot beyond the sunset skies.

________________________________________

**Soooo yeah. MaKayla takes sleepwalking to a new level. And yes, one of the ‘Lights’ is apparently in Sector V, it should be obvious who. I was also gonna show a little Vweeb backstory, but I decided to save it next time, when we learn the main quest. We were gonna learn it here, but I figured it’d be better if… Ummmm so next time, Nebula will return home, even though it’s already too late.**


	7. Tachyon’s Intention

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dimentia leaves her children a tape with an important story. Meanwhile, Sector V lands on an Amazon planet. Our other villains also begin their plots.

**In this chapter, we’re introduced to a few people.**

****

**_

Chapter 6: Tachyon’s Intention

_**

****

**Galaxia; aboard the Shooting Star**

“I hope they haven’t already captured Mom by now.” Nebula said as they kept on the route to Star Haven.

“Wait, do you mean YOUR mom, or the person Mom?” Vweeb joked.

“Ugh, you know which one I mean! Tachyon’s after something that’ll help him harness the powers of Space. And since he’s after my mom, the thing he’s looking for is obviously Jirachi, the God of Stars.”

“But didn’t your mom send Jirachi off again? He could be anywhere in the universe.”

“Yeah. She’s one of the parents who chose to set their Firstborn free. But Tachyon probably has plans to find him. Let’s just hope he hasn’t already…”

**Amazonia**

Sector V’s prison ship took land within a vast jungle as the Drophyd troopers led them out. “Hold on… this isn’t Zordoom. Why did Tachyon order us to come here?” the Drophyd leader asked.

“Did they set up a new base?”

The Drophyds decided to lead the prisoners across the jungle as Aurora whispered to Vanellope, “Where did you have the ship fly to?”

“Someplace called Amazonia.” she whispered. “It sounded kinda cool.”

“There has to be a mistake.” the Drophyd said. “Amazonia’s a strict matriarchal society. Didn’t you hear the tales about the men who ventured to this planet?”

“What happened to them?” Mason asked, suddenly feeling worried.

“They died of crushed pelvises.”

The Sector V boys gulped.

“Relax, you boys are too young… I think.” the Drophyd assured. “But I still don’t understand.”

“Tachyon has an according with MomCorp.” another said. “She’s a female of high power. Maybe _she_ organized this.”

“She better have. Or before you know it, those Amazon women will be over us like-” And at that instant, a swarm of giant arrows rained down and CRUSHED all the Drophyds.

The Sector V boys trembled in fear when the ground quaked, and through the trees came a squad of giant women in heavily-revealing outfits. “Who is leader of your group?” a blue-haired one asked.

 _“SHE IS.”_ They pointed at Aurora, who looked disbelieved.

“Hmmm… dese males listen to you?”

“Uhhhh… kind of. Though Chris never picks up his trash.” She spared a dirty look to her brother, who grinned nervously.

“Hmmmm… we confused. Take dem to Empress Hancock. SHE know what do…”

**Star Haven**

When the Shooting Star landed on the star-shaped island, Nebula immediately hopped out and ran to her house. “Mom!” she yelled, bursting through the front door. She stopped and gasped in horror, seeing the house in ruins. However, someone awaited her by the remains of their couch. “Jerome?...”

“Nebula. Thank goodness you’re safe. …And now I see where Vweeb has been.”

“He snuck in my pocket.”

“’Tis why under your nose, is the best place to go!” Vweeb cheered.

“Jerome, what happened here? Where’s Mom?”

“The house was like this when I came back.” Jerome looked down with a regretful look. “I…I think she was captured.”

“We’re too late…” Nebula said with regret.

“I found _this_ under our couch.” Jerome held up the tape. “I think it should cover everything.” The label read _For my children, in case something happens._

Nebula quickly took it and stuffed it in the VCR. “We’re in a sci-fi universe, and you guys still own a VCR?” Vweeb asked.

“SHHHH.” they hushed. The group watched as Dimentia’s image appeared, a serious look on her face.

_“Nebula and Jerome… if you’re watching this, Tachyon has just risen to power and has ordered my capture. …Unless of course you kids were snooping and happened to find this, if so, I taught you better than that. But, more importantly… I had this video prepared the moment Tachyon made himself known across the public. You see… Tachyon is a Cragmite.”_

“So?” Nebula asked.

_“Nearly 2 million years ago, my race of Zathurians was at war with the Cragmites. But my brother and I were abandoned by our parents at the circus, so I don’t know much of the details. My brother was more knowledgeable on the topic, for some reason. Across the universe, our race was renowned for our studies in the fundamentals of space, and developing ways in which to harness the powers of space. Our kind created the greatest weapon to do so, next to the Star Rod: the Dimensionator.”_

“Dimensionator?” Vweeb repeated.

_“According to what my brother explained… the Dimensionator allows one to easily jump dimensions at will, and can easily open and close gateways between any universe. It can give one complete control of Space itself. That was the Cragmites’ goal from the beginning, and I believe Tachyon has returned to finish what they started. And since the Star Rod’s magic has been disabled and Jirachi has vanished, it’s Tachyon’s only way of obtaining complete control. But my brother said it could only be activated through a Zathurian’s DNA, so I figured they would be after me. And his reasons for shutting down the Kids Next Door are so they wouldn’t get in his way. After all… with a Zathurian leading them, he knew he couldn’t trust them.”_

Nebula’s eyes furrowed.

 _“I don’t have any idea where the Dimensionator is now, or even if it still exists. For a long time, I didn’t really care. But I’m a changed person now… and the children of this universe may be in danger if we don’t do something. I have an idea where you could look first. The pirates that hang over Aquaria’s skies love to hunt for ancient artifacts or weapons, and sell them for big money. Their base is as good a place as any to start searching for clues. We have to find the Dimensionator and stop it from falling into Tachyon’s hands. Or the GKND might never see the light of day again…”_ The video ended.

“Your mom needs to take some acting classes.” Vweeb joked. Nebula flicked him off her shoulder in disbelief. “Whoooa!”

“They’ve likely taken our mom to Zordoom Prison.” Jerome figured. “It would be reckless to try and rescue her.”

“I know.” Nebula sighed with an uncheerful aura. “I just wish she coulda had more info. How do we know we can rely on the pirates to have anything?”

“I wouldn’t doubt our mother’s judgment.” Jerome said. “After all, she’s had a buhmillion years of experience.”

“Sigh, can’t you just say a _million_?” Nebula asked. “The whole ‘buhmillion’ thing lost its appeal a long time ago.”

“Well, what’s the plan, then?”

“Sigh, I guess I don’t have a choice. I’m going to the pirate fleet to look for clues on this Dimensionator. Jerome, I want you to fly around the different planets and check on the status of the Kids Next Doors. And whatever you do, DON’T get caught by the Drophyds; they might take _your_ spacebending away, too. Call me if something comes up.”

“But Nebula; why can’t I come with you?” he asked with concern. “Without your bending, you’ll at least need _me_ …”

“Jerome, the safety of the Kids Next Doors means the most to me, and with your bending, I know I can trust you the most. Meanwhile, I need to find this Dimensionator and stop Tachyon.” 

“Okay!” Vweeb perked with confidence. “Let’s get this Dimensionator and kick Tachyon’s buggy butt!”

“Um, actually, Vweeb… since we’re flying by Aquaria anyway, I think we should drop you home first.”

“What? Why?”

“Well, Vweeb, with all the other GKND disbanded, my powers disabled, and any stragglers being hunted, which means us… well, it’s a lot more dangerous for you. You’ve only been able to survive on missions with your sister or, someone stronger’s help, and if I’m not up to speed, you could be killed. I mean, you’re just too… small.”

……Vweeb used to feel the same way about himself. But back then, he was staring up at someone much bigger… 

_Vweeb and his mother, Ava stood face-to-face on Sunny Island’s beach. Well, it was hardly face-to-face, seeing as Ava towered miles over her tiny son. The tiny Kateenian looked fierce, ready to fight, as Ava raised her gigantic foot above him. She brought her foot down in a flash, but Vweeb swiftly dodged to his right. The towering woman stomped her feet all around, determined to squish the little guy, but Vweeb didn’t slip for a second. At his size, the small dunes in the sand were as big as regular hills, which made it difficult to jump up._

_Ava almost caught Vweeb, but he jumped between her toes and onto the back of her foot, trying to bite the flesh with all his force. “Hm hm, you know that doesn’t work on me.” Ava laughed as she flicked Vweeb off with the other foot. She whipped out her swords and started to stab them at Vweeb, who immediately became more alert. He was finally able to jump on the left sword, and when Ava raised it, Vweeb jumped to her left eye and tugged on her eyelash._

_She shook her head and flung the tiny boy off, plopping on the sand. Before he could recover, he felt a shadow loom over him, looking up as his mom’s massive foot crushed him underneath. Ava stepped off after a few seconds, watching as Vweeb emerged from beneath the sand of her footprint. “Still need a bit more practice, Vweeb. But against someone like me, you do pretty well.”_

_Vweeb got to his feet and shook the sand off, looking up at her with a confident smirk. “Yeah, well just watch! One day I’ll get strong enough to fight you head on, and I won’t NEED to dodge!”_

_“Hm hm hm!” Ava found the tiny boy’s attitude adorable. “Maybe you won’t need to dodge against simple field troops… but I was only going easy on you. Using my full strength, you’d barely last a millisecond. You see Vweeb, I’m a Glomourian. I have the blood of generations of proud, strong warriors who shed the blood of thousands of enemies.” She made stances with her swords as she spoke. “And even after one thousand battles, we bear a firm stance, our swords gripped in our hands like glue. And that’s why all our enemies end up squashed like bugs under our might.”_

_And Ava performed a mighty spin, slashing a nearby boulder with a perfect cut, its top sliding off, and sending an airwave that blew down several trees. “We needed more firewood.”_

_Vweeb’s tiny eyes sparkled with admiration of his enormous mother. She looked like a goddess from his view… she was so powerful. The strongest person he ever knew. Vweeb felt so weak, staring up at her greatness. He looked around and studied the humongous footprint she stomped him in. It was big enough to fit a Kateenian-sized house, and a playground in the front. It made him feel smaller than he already was. A teeny-tiny ant… whom she can step on and leave hardly any trace._

_“Wow, Mom… you really are strong.” Ava’s big ears could hear the sadness in his miniscule voice. She looked down, seeing the tiny white dot that was her son sat depressedly in her footprint. Even from her view, it made him look so feeble when she noted the size difference. “You know… maybe I’m shooting too high. Even if I could fight… I’d never be able to match you. Or Makava. You two were BORN warriors. Even if me and Dad have our pride… people like you could turn us into mincemeat. …That would still make you hungry if you ate us.”_

_Ava smiled and sat down with her legs crossed. “Vweeb, I thought you were determined a minute ago. Where’s that powerful spirit?”_

_“That was before I saw how strong YOU were! YOU’RE a powerful warrior… and I’m just a puny mama’s boy. If I wasn’t your son, you probably wouldn’t bother with me.”_

_“Vweeb, don’t say that. You mean more to me than anything.”_

_“That still doesn’t change anything. I’m still a Kateenian… and you’re a powerful Glomourian.”_

_“But that’s just it, Vweeb: I’m a Glomourian… and_ you’re _my son. You’re only half-Kateenian. You’re_ half _-Glomourian, too. That means the blood of proud, strong warriors is inside you, too.”_

_“But I’m still too small. Aren’t I?”_

_“Maybe… but both Kateenians and Glomourians have their own sense of pride and strength. So you have both, Vweeb. And somewhere inside that tiny body is a powerful strength just waiting to come out.”_

_“So… I really COULD fight you head on?” Vweeb asked with a more lively smile._

_“Hm hm hm! I never said that! It’ll be a hundred years before you’re strong enough to take_ me _. And that doesn’t go between our difference in size, but strength!”_

_“In that case, Mom… I WILL fight you someday! I’ll keep getting stronger until I can beat you! Somehow! You’ll never stomp me in your footprint again—AAAH!” Right away, Ava placed her foot back in the print._

_“Hm hm hm! Whatever you say, my teeny-weeny man!”_

_She pulled her foot out as Vweeb stood back up. “That was a cheap shot!” With that, both exchanged happy laughter._

“…I’m coming with you.” Vweeb stated with sureness.

“Vweeb, if something happens to you, it’ll be _my_ fault.” Nebula said. “This whole thing is _my_ responsibility… so I don’t want any of my operatives getting hurt because of it.”

“Well, I wouldn’t feel right abandoning a friend. Especially if she’s going alone. Besides… I promised my mom I would get stronger. I wasn’t really sure how… but going on a dangerous journey sounds like a good start.”

“Siiiigh… well, you were a big help in dealing with the Drophyds back on Bespin… I guess I’ll let you come.”

“You sure you don’t want _me_ coming?” Jerome asked.

“Don’t worry, Jerome. I think Vweeb is all I’ll need. You just check on all the operatives.”

“If that’s what you want… Sir.” Jerome walked past them toward the exit, but stopped and looked down at Vweeb. “I’ll be trusting you for her safety.”

“Heheh!” Vweeb grinned and thumbs-upped.

“Just go!” Nebula demanded, nudging her brother forward. “So overprotective!”

Vweeb hopped onto Nebula’s shoulder and declared, “So let’s get going!”

“Mmm.” She nodded. “We’re not sure how close Tachyon is to finding it, so let’s go.”

**Sargasso Station**

“Terrific job capturing the Zathurian.” Neftin said as he paced before the Star Wolf Team. “Now the next item in our agenda: somewhere in this universe lies the ancient weapon that will help Tachyon conquer the universe, but more importantly, help me and my sister return home: the Dimensionator. However, the Imperial Forces have the search covered, for now. _Your_ objective is to prevent anyone _else_ from finding it first. Namely the Kids Next Door. We’ve received reports that the GKND’s leader, Nebula Winkiebottom, is roaming the galaxy and defeating our troops. We don’t know if she is aware of the Dimensionator yet, but regardless, she must be captured immediately, _dead or alive_. Dismissed.” The gorilla Nether walked off.

“Hmph. For a gorilla, he sure does bark a lot.” The blue-skinned female bounty hunter remarked, sitting on a metal crate. “Why did we take this job, anyway?”

_

A Duro/half-Glomourian bounty hunter  
AURORRA BANE

_

“We take any job that pays us, remember.” The blue-furred fox said. “’Course, I’m a bit surprised Neftin wanted our help, considering we tried to hunt them.”

_

Second-in-command of Star Wolf, a Faunus fox  
JOHN FETT

_

A beautiful, peaceful tune started to play. They looked to their human member, whose back was turned as he stared thoughtfully at an open music box. The picture inside depicted a young, beautiful girl with clear blue eyes and light blonde hair.

“You _still_ starin’ at that thing?” Aurorra smirked. “For a guy who never misses a shot through the chest, you sure have a weak heart.”

“Hmmm… you guys should remember… I have no interest in money… so don’t expect much help from me.”

_

Sniper of Star Wolf  
DADDY THE PARENT

_

“Why so dramatic?” Aurorra asked. “Back when we were junior hunters, you used to make yourself rich through catching criminals.”

“ _No_ , he made himself rich catching criminals _all the time_.” John corrected. “Before that _divorce_.”

“You mean with that fat lady? The one who took an interest in him _because_ he was so rich? If I recall, _he_ was the one who wanted it.”

“I was a different man back when I married her.” Daddy stated. “And in that marriage… only _one_ good thing came of it.” He opened the music box again, and the peaceful music played. “Oh, the fool I was…”

“Just quit moping, you fool.” John ordered. “I’m gonna go see what the boss wants us to do about this Dimensionator thing. Be right back.” The blue fox headed upstairs, leaving the two alone. Daddy the Parent continued to stare at the picture in his box. His daughter looked so happy…

**Unknown blocky planet**

A fancily designed S.C.A.M.P.E.R. was coming in for landing on an unknown planet, whose surface was made out of what seemed like Legos, and everything had a strange blocky shape. Once the Pamper S.C.A.M.P.E.R. landed, the four members of Sector DR stepped out. Doflamingo Jr., wearing his cool grin as always, exclaimed, “Hey, I don’t think we were given a proper introduction! Show us a little LOVE, storytellers!”

_

Leader of Sector DR  
“Numbuh 340 Buhmillion” DON QUIXOTE DOFLAMINGO, JR.

_

“That’s more like it!”

As Numbuh Sweetie-1 sucked on a lollipop, she studied the planet. “What makes you think we’ll find Caesar _here_ , Boss?”

_

Weapons Specialist of Sector DR  
“Numbuh Sweetie-1” AERAL SARAH

_

“Before we track down Caesar, we have to see that no one _else_ gets to him first.” Doflamingo said. “I can trust this is the right planet, Bison?”

The third member, Bison, a chubby kid with buckteeth, yellow jumpsuit, and helicopter hair observed the blocky ground through a huge monocle. “No doubt, this is the place-daizokun. The surface made of Legos is unmistakable.”

_

Pilot of Sector DR  
“Numbuh Spade” BISON OXFORD

_

“Heh heh heh. Perfect! This planet is home to one of my dad’s business rivals. Coincidentally… his _name_ is Business. And like my dad, he is one of the Corporate Presidents. Responsible for the production and distribution of Legos and related products. But in actuality… he never intended his products to be children’s toys. He only wanted them to be used by children entering the business industry, who would use his Legos as blueprints. To my knowledge, he has no business with Caesar… which is why we will take some of his supplies to help us. Not that we need it. But just in case… best not to say anything ‘bout what we’re doing.”

But in mere seconds, a squad of Drophyd ships came down, and the sector was surrounded by the fish-men in robot bodies. “It seems you kids haven’t gotten the message.” The leader stated. “All Kids Next Door ops are ordered to return to their home planets, AND their homes. Failure to comply may result in possible, though very probable, imprisonment.”

“Hey-hey, take a chill pill, fish guys! What makes ya think this AIN’T our home planet?” Doflamingo asked.

“Are you kidding? You look nothing like the people here! Now come with us quietly or face the consequences.”

“Fufufufu.” Doffy smirked. “You think _we’re_ the ones facing consequences? It’s time we show you that Sector DR is the deadliest sector in Earth’s Kids Next Door.”

“We’ll soon see. Troops… FI-… huh?!” The squad of Drophyds suddenly had no control of their robotic limbs.

“Fufufufu!” Doflamingo laughed, having used his strings to take control of them. “Against me, your strengths become your downfall. But not today. Sweetie-1?”

“Mmm.” The weapon girl looked fierce as her arms transformed into cannons, blasting and destroying the Drophyd ships in one hit each.

“Errr… you think you’ll get away? ?” the leader asked. “If we don’t report back to headquarters… they’ll send backup… and after that, an entire army will fly in after you rebels.”

“Well then… we’ll just have to make it so no one expects any reports.” Doffy grinned wickedly. “Now to show you why Sector DR is the ultimate force! All thanks to our newest member… Sugar?”

The fourth and newest member of Sector DR stepped out. A girl with aquamarine hair, a white dress with pink polka-dots, and open-toed sandals.

_

“Special” Member of Sector DR  
“Numbuh Trebol” DON QUIXOTE SUGAR

_

“You see, here’s how our sector works:” Doffy began. “I catch the enemies with my string powers… Sweetie-1 blows away your ships and other supplies… and then Sugar here _erases you_ without a trace. If you would?” 

Sugar wore an emotionless frown as she raised her hands, aiming them at the Drophyds. In a flash, she zipped around and touched all the Drophyds, and they poofed in a puff of smoke. Doflamingo kept his devious smirk. “And this is why… my sister is the deadliest power in all of Dressrosa.” When the smoke cleared, the Drophyds were gone. All that remained were little toy robots.

“…Hmmm.” Doflamingo frowned. “Were we just fighting someone? I don’t remember.”

“Me either.” Aeral said. “Aren’t we heading for this Business guy?”

“Oh yes! Bison, if you would?”

With that, the chubby helicopter boy morphed into a yellow helicopter, his head increasing in size as his three teammates climbed in the mouth. Bison’s hair spiraled like a chopper and began flying to a distant city.

“Yuck… you really need to brush sometime, Bison.” Doflamingo commented.

“Ish not my fauu’. I got s-melly fee’ in my moooou’.” Bison tried to say.

“Um, Boss?” Aeral spoke with concern. “Are you sure bringing Sugar along was okay? If something happens to her, your dad will…”

“Fufufu. No sector is safer than Sector DR, Sweetie. Because no sector is as unstoppable. But you make a good point… no matter what happens, Sugar’s safety is our number one priority.”

**Aquaria Skies**

Nebula and Vweeb entered Aquaria’s atmosphere and spotted the fleet of sky-high pirate ships. “Well, there’s the pirate fleet. Let’s just hope it isn’t a wild goose chase.” Nebula said.

“How’re we gonna get in there, anyway?” Vweeb asked. “Just go running in guns ablaze?”

“Uhhhh no. We already have the Drophyds hunting us, I don’t want the pirates going all crazy. I was thinking you could shrink me down so we can sneak into their flagship.”

“Actually, my shrink ray’s still busted from when we crashed on Flora during the Viridi War. That’s why I needed _you_ to resize my friends.”

“You still haven’t fixed it??”

“Hey, it takes a while to perfect a shrinking function! It took my dad AGES!”

“Siiiigh. Okay, new plan: I’ll turn on this ship’s cloaker, land in their hangar, and we’ll just be stealthy from there. Sound like a good plan?”

“Yep.”

“Good. Alright, here we go.” With that, she switched on the Shooting Star’s cloaker as they flew into the pirate fleet unseen. They found an open hangar and flew inside, landing in an open spot and hopping out. They approached the room’s exit and peeked outside into a hall. (Play the “Pirate Base 1” Theme from _Ratchet: Tools of Destruction_.)

 

_Stage 5: Pirate Skies_

_Mission: Find a clue to the Dimensionator’s location without being seen by the pirates._

This hall seemed vacant, so they snuck out and headed right, then peeked down a corner left. There was a pirate pacing back-and-forth next to some stairs, and another pirate on the walkway above the stairs. The pirates were skinny robots with metal skulls for heads, and small lights in their eyes which served as pupils. The lower pirate was walking to them, so they stayed hidden. When it turned around, they quietly snuck up the stairs, crouching so the pirate above wouldn’t see them. They had to turn right, so when that pirate went left, they were able to get by and make it to an exit.

They got onto a fairly long pathway where more pirates were patrolling along. When the closest pirate turned back around, Nebula quietly followed from behind. He walked by a big metal crate which Nebula hid behind, but the pirate was about to turn back around. Nebula quickly dropped and gripped the ledge by the crate, letting the pirate go past without him noticing. However, she spotted a pirate on the crate’s other side, so she couldn’t sneak past it anyway. However, she noticed a set of Space Lights down below, where she was able to conjure Space Blocks. She dropped down to the one below her and hopped across the blocks, safely under the path, but far above the ocean below.

She made it below a round platform, which had a path connecting to the longer path. There were some metal crates on the platform, and a rope dangling above them, allowing Vweeb to grab it and climb up. There was an unmanned turret aimed at the flagship ahead, so Vweeb climbed onto the button and jumped to press it. The cannon fired and blew a hole open in the ship. This immediately drew the attention of the nearby pirates, so Vweeb quickly jumped back down to Nebula. “Hey, who fired this thing?? Was it you?”

“Oh yeah, sure, I suddenly have magic telekinetic abilities.”

“You were the closest one here!”

“Ay didn’t touch the bloody thing!”

“Well, it couldn’t activate by itself.”

“You think the ship’s haunted?”

“No, you bumbling bolthead. Obviously, it…”

While the pirates bickered, Nebula and Vweeb quickly jumped their way back over the blocks and back onto the path. Since all the pirates were gathered at the cannon, they ran to the flagship as quick as they could. (Well, Nebula did all this and carried Vweeb, ‘cause he’s too small.) She was about to head into the front door, but stopped in place, looking frantic as she saw its handle turn.

“Oi, what’s all the ruckus out here??” a pirate yelled as three of them marched out. Nebula had quickly grabbed onto the tiny ledge on the door’s right, quickly climbing around before they turned. “Don’t you blokes know ‘ow to aim right?”

The convenient ledge led around to the right of the ship, to an open window that led into a bar. They climbed in and landed behind the counter, gone unnoticed by the pirates. On the wall behind them was another graffiti mark that Vweeb recognized, a picture of a strange robot’s head. “Hey Neb, check it out.” He whispered. “We saw one of those pictures back on Coruscant.”

“Really?” she noticed it. “I wonder who that is.”

They flinched when they heard a door open, looking right to see a pirate lugging in a barrel. “Ay, you can never find good help these days.” He was coming around the counter, so Nebula quickly crawled around the left, slipping under a table. There were two pirates guarding the stairway on the other side, and the room was filled with several more pirates.

Vweeb took notice of the chandelier in the middle of the room and climbed onto the table they were under, hiding behind a jug of grog. He saw a pirate chugging down some grog and took careful aim at the chandelier crystal above him. Hoping no one was watching, Vweeb fired his Tri-gun’s laser and burned the crystal off its perch, causing it to fall and break the pirate’s glass. The pirate next to him laughed, causing the former to punch him, and this quickly erupted into an all-out battle. Not wanting to miss out, the guards at the stairway jumped in the chaos.

Vweeb climbed back to Nebula as she quickly got up and went up the stairway, unseen by the swabbies. She turned left and found a door with the crew’s Jolly Roger painted on. They quietly stepped inside, entering the captain’s cabin. (End song.)

There were lots of treasure and maps inside, as well as the gaping hole blown open earlier. Vweeb hopped off Nebula’s shoulder and started scampering around the room. “Okay! Let’s start looking!” He ran onto a pile of treasure and searched in the chest. “The captain wouldn’t just have it lying around.” He peeked his head in a small hole. “The clue’s gotta be hidden somewhere secret.”

Nebula casually stepped up to the table and found a small pyramid device with a black half and white half. “Hey, look at this!”

“Oh, on the table, that works.” Vweeb remarked.

Nebula picked up the device and studied it. But- _“Me hearties sing chanties, of girls in loose panties, who liiiinger byyyy the shooore!”_ She looked frantic and quickly hid in a small wardrobe, placing the device back.

“For SIX PENCE I’ll love her, then DITCH that land-lubber, a PIRAAATE eeeever mooooore!” In stepped the chubby pirate captain and his skinny first mate.

“Oh, woe is me, Rusty Pete. I ‘aven’t heard from me Terminan pen pal in over 5 months now. You don’t think ‘e’s mad, do ya?”

“That’s nonsense, Captain! He’s prob’ly just thinkin’ of a decent way to reply to your last message (hiccup)!”

“Well, i’s not like I sent him a lousy ‘LOL’ or anything. He needs to have the decency to send me SOME form of indication that he’s still alive! Otherwise A-” However, something strange caught Slag’s attention: something he was certain was off. He stomped over to the huge, gaping hole in his wall. “Oh, blast it all! HAVEN’T I told you blokes not to practice cannons with our ships so bunched together??” He perked and turned around, realizing something ELSE off. Nebula looked worried as he stomped over to the device on his table. “And last I recall, this device wasn’t _here_ : it was HERE.” He moved it a few inches left. “How can it go from here… to HERE,” few inches right, “when it should be THERE.” Back left. “Because doohickeys don’t just move from here… to _there_ when… Oh wait, it was here. Never mind.” He returned it a few inches right.

Nebula breathed a faint sigh of relief.

“But by Jove, Rusty Pete. Oi can’t figure this out for the life of me. An ancient Zathurian artifact shouldn’t be THAT hard to tamper with.”

Nebula gasped quietly.

“Maybe it’s a puzzle, Cap’n! You just… eeeahh!” The first mate struggled to twist it. “Well, some hacksaws never hurt anyone!”

“STOP that, you rusty wretch!” Slag bashed him, and the device fell on the floor. “Now that Tachyon’s on the move, we ‘ave to find the Dimensionator first! And if we can’t crack this thingamahoozit, we’ll never have any leads! Arrrr… Oi need a few more drinks.” The aching pirate held his head as he walked out.

“Shall I call someone from Osiris, perhaps? It is a pyramid.”

“No.” They shut the door upon leaving.

Nebula and Vweeb stepped out of hiding as Vweeb asked, “You know, what kinda name is _Dimensionator_ , anyway?”

“I don’t know.” Nebula picked the device off the floor and studied it again. “At least we know the pirates are hunting it… there’s gotta be _some_ way to activate this. Huh?” She found a tiny glass spot on the pyramid’s bottom. It revealed a scanner and scanned Nebula’s left, yellow eye.

 _“Identity confirmed. Zathurian DNA scanned. This pyramid’s secrets are yours.”_ With that, the device projected rows of holographic alien text.

“Uhhh… we hoped you’d make the secret a little more CLEAR??” Vweeb yelled.

“It’s written in Zathurian.” Nebula said. “I can read it. ‘You, who is descended from the clan of space and wishes to harness our ancient power, seek the 6 pieces that will make our invention whole. Find the ancient pieces that were entrusted to the Six Clans whose unique culture transcended the eons. The first Dimensional Fragment can be found within the matriarchal planet of Amazonia. But know the prize will only go to one who matches their size and strength. Good luck, and beware the darkness that Space holds.’ …Well, that’s somethin’.”

“So we’re going to Amazonia?” Vweeb asked.

“’Guess so. But let’s leave this here so the pirates don’t get suspicious. If we forget what it says, we’ll just reread the chapter.” With that, she set it down.

 _“Orright, we’ll try the hacksaw if it’ll shut you up.”_ Slag’s voice was heard.

“Uh-oh. Run.” She grabbed Vweeb and ran for the open hole. She pressed a wristwatch communicator before jumping out.

“But I’m telling ye, it ain’t-” Slag stopped when he stepped in, noticing the artifact on the table. (His right hand was a hacksaw.) “’ey… warn’t this on the floor when we left?” he asked, picking the pyramid up. “How did it…” The two looked to the open hole and approached it curiously. They searched around the outside, seeing nothing suspicious. They turned around and walked away, not noticing the Shooting Star flying away from their fleet.

**Great Clock**

MaKayla returned to the present and was headed back to her room, still in her pajamas. George was in the kitchen, grabbing a glass of milk from the fridge. He wore purple pajamas and was barefoot, baring a tired expression. As he turned back around, he noticed MaKayla walk by the kitchen’s door. “MaKayla?” He hurried after her, too tired to focus. “W-What’re you doing with Dad’s staff?”

“Just uh… yaaaaawn, sleepwalking.” And she continued to their room, not looking back. George merely shrugged and tiredly followed after her.

 

**And speaking of which, I am super-duper tired of writing this. Siiiigh… so yeah, we finally hear our main quest. And the first area is Amazonia. But apparently, we need someone who matches the Amazonians’ size and strength. Know anyone like that? Huh? Anyone? Wink-wink? Siiiigh. So next time, we will go there. Later.**

**…**

**…**

**…I miss Captain Slag.**


	8. Back in Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sector V is taken to the Empress of Amazonia, Boa Hancock. Meanwhile, MaKayla goes back in time to Punk Hazard.

**Siiiigh, sorry I took so long _again_ , but we’re sort of moving, and the process takes a while. :/ Anyway, here is the next chapter, introducing Amazonia’s ruler, but it’s mostly a MaKayla chapter. In fact, today is actually Divachick86 (MaKayla)’s birthday, you know. So wish her a happy birthday!**

****

**_

Chapter 7: Back in Time

_**

****

**Somewhere in space**

After leaving the space-pirate fleet without detection, Nebula and Vweeb were back in their Shooting Star and flying for Amazonia. “So what’s Amazonia like, again?” Vweeb asked.

“I figured _you_ would know of all people.” Nebula stated. “Amazonia’s the matriarchal world of giant women. Men are absolutely forbidden from entering, and if they do, they’re not treated well.”

Vweeb gulped. “Well, technically I’m a _boy_ , not a man, so by general thinking I should be safe.”

“I think the same rules still apply. Unless of course those men are working under a woman of higher power, they might be spared… in exchange for a few foot rubs.” Vweeb shuddered. “But be thankful for your size, ‘cause the harder you are to see, the better.”

Vweeb prayed that she was right and faced ahead with hope. However, he noticed something odd and looked back up at his leader’s face. Nebula’s eyes were half-closed, and she struggled to keep them open. “Um… Nebula? Aren’t you tired?”

“What? No, of course not.”

But Vweeb could see the bags under her eyes. “Nebula, at _my_ size, these things are a hundred percent more noticeable. You’re sleepy.”

“Well, I haven’t exactly slept since the assembly. Excluding when I was knocked out. But I don’t have time for sleeping. We need to stop Tachyon as soon as we can.”

“You won’t be _able_ to stop Tachyon if you’re too tired to fight. Come on, Nebs. Let’s find the nearest asteroid and park for the night.”

Nebula released a long yawn as her response. You couldn’t hide anything from Vweeb, she couldn’t deny. “Siiiigh… fine.”

The two flew over to a nearby planetoid that had its own gravity. Nebula parked the ship on the side of the planet and switched the engine off. “We’ll crash here for a few hours… then get back on track.” She said in a tired tone.

“Yaaawn.” Vweeb was just as tired. “Think you can tune in some radio music? It’ll help me sleep.”

“Sure.” Nebula turned on the radio and set it to a station that played some calm traveling music, turning the volume to a low level. With that, she got on the ship’s floor and fixed herself in a rather uncomfy position, her legs curled as she rested her head on her hands. She slipped her shoes off as she closed her eyes and let the calm tunes put her to sleep.

Vweeb was right about the radio: it eased the boring quietness of space and made the air(?) feel more peaceful. In her uncomfortable position, some calming music is what she needed. Vweeb had a better time, though, as he simply fixed himself under his leader’s ear and covered himself with her hair. He was very comfortable and would get lots of rest. Why were little guys so lucky? The region of space was vacant and quiet, except for their radio. As they drifted peacefully into sleep, their heads seemed washed of all worries.

**Amazonia; Hancock’s Temple**

The Amazon women led the Sector V group up a steep staircase to the entrance of a huge temple. “Soooo what’s this Empress Hancock like?” Aurora asked.

“You’ll really like her.” An Amazon named Daisy said. “She’s the most beautiful woman in Galaxia. And she’s the strongest Amazon warrior.”

“Strong AND beautiful?” Haruka smiled. “I like her already!” The boys rolled their eyes.

“There’s a legend surrounding her and her sisters,” the Amazon, Ran said, “that says that they once clashed with the Queen of Snakes, Medusa. They defeated her and ended up cursed, which is why Hancock can turn people to stone, and her sisters are part-snake.”

“Is all that true?” Aurora asked.

“We never really knew… but we didn’t know where else their powers could’ve come from. But for their victory, we recognized them as the strongest warriors of Amazonia. That’s why Hancock easily took her place as empress. It’s also why we call her the Snake Princess.”

They were led to the throne room, going up more wide stairs as two huge women stood at the top. One was Boa Sandersonia, who was thin with long green hair, sharp green eyes, and a snaky tongue sticking out. The other was Boa Mariegold, who was very chubby with orange hair and orange eyes. Between them, sitting on the throne, was the Empress of Amazonia herself. She was a slim woman with clear, smooth skin and sharp black eyes. She had raven-black hair, red high-heels, and a red robe, which hung open to reveal part of her cleavage. Just as well, her sisters were also fairly exposed.

The guards stopped before the empress as Sector V stared up at the towering Amazons. Hancock was twice as tall as the other Amazonians, but her sisters were even taller. The empress spoke with an angered tone. “Kug! What are these humans doing here?!”

“Mighty Hancock:” the blue-haired Amazon, Kug began, “Drophyds land on Amazonia with hand-cuffed kids. We squish Drophyds, but not know what to do with kids.”

“I don’t understand, are you people _cavemen_ or _Greek_ people?” Mason questioned.

Chris snickered. “ _Hancock!_ Kug! You women have funny names!”

“You dare mock Empress Hancock?!” Mariegold yelled.

“Our names are special!” Kug stated. “Each name hold special meaning!”

“Sure it does.” Artie remarked.

Hancock stomped her foot and made the ground shake, startling the kids as she reached down to grab Artie. “W-Wait, wait! I-I didn’t mean it!” Artie whimpered.

“Hmph. You men are all the same.” Hancock stated, holding Artie close to her sharp eyes. “Especially little boys, trying to think up the quickest excuse to save their sorry butts.”

“If it makes you feel better, my mom beats me pretty hard when I lie, so if we explain this whole situation, I can assure you she won’t let me off easy. Heheh, hehehehehehe.” Artie sweated nervously.

“Oh… but why would I want to do that?” Hancock said with a more teary look.

“Huh?”

“I wouldn’t want you to get beaten… when you’re so… _cute_ …”

“Ehhhhh.” Artie was suddenly blushing and wearing a goofy smile. “Y-You’re actually kinda hot. I can feel the heat from your hand…”

“She _can’t_ be serious.” Harry said disbelieved.

“Oh!” Hancock blushed. “Do you really think so?”

“Of course I do, My Empress…” Artie sounded out of breath, his temperature rising.

“Mmmmm.” Hancock held him close to her bare chest as she stroked his hair. “Would you… do something for me?”

 _“I would do anything for you, My Empress…”_ He was madly in love.

“Hm hm… then…” Hancock smirked, “FREEZE!” At that instant, Artie turned to stone, his goofy expression still visible.

“ARTIE!!” Haylee screamed, the others gaping.

“Hm hm hm.” Hancock still petted him. “It’s impossible for _any_ man or woman to resist me. If I squish a puppy… or twist someone’s back… it won’t matter. Because… I’m beautiful.”

“You sure are…” Chris’s cheeks turned red, suddenly feeling infatuated.

“So pretty…” Mason sweated.

“She is…” Haruka’s eyes were wide.

Sheila just looked baffled, seeing the lovey-dovey expressions on her friends. “Oi, crikey, wot got in to them?”

“He should learn to keep his mouth shut.” Hancock smirked, holding the frozen Artie close. “He’ll learn that in due time. In the meantime… I’ll just keep him. He’s an adorable prize… and he’ll _love_ staying with me.”

“Men are forbidden on this planet.” Mariegold said. “Empress Hancock makes them into stone. Others get snu-snu.”

“What’s snu-snu?” Aurora asked.

“It’s what your parents did to make you.” Sandersonia smirked.

“EWWWWW!” They were disgusted.

“Hm hm…” The thinner sister stuck her snake tongue out. “Now what were you kids doing here?”

“Well, we were trapped on the Drophyds’ ship, but we tricked them into flying to this planet, which we didn’t really know about.” Aurora explained.

“Blonde female claim she is leader of tiny humans.” Kug mentioned.

“So, you boys work under her?” Hancock asked.

“Yes, they do.” Aurora smiled and nodded. “And they are _very_ obedient. Chris, give me a shoulder rub.”

“Uuuugh.” Chris begrudgingly rubbed his sister’s shoulders.

“Hmmm.” Hancock seemed convinced. “But judging by their remarks previously, it seems these boys don’t know their place. Girls, get the handcuffs off the girls. The boys will be sent to the dungeon to do our laundry.”

“Of course we’d get THAT as our death sentence.” Chris remarked.

“And make sure they wash the very DIRTY ones.”

“You really don’t know how to keep your mouth shut, do you?” Harry glared at Chris as they were led away.

**Coruscant; MomCorp H.Q.**

“FASTER! Work harder, you bastards!” demanded an old, thin woman in a blue jumpsuit and black boots, and heart-shaped pale-white hair. “A multi-million corporation doesn’t run itself!”

_

President of MomCorp; one of the Corporate Presidents For Children’s Entertainment  
MOM (Real name: Carol)

_

“Tachyon ordered a thousand robot sentries by tomorrow morning, and _I don’t_ rip off my clients ‘til they paid every last PENNY!” She sighed as she leaned against the railing of the walkway that overlooked the factory. “Oh, 142 years old is not as young as it used to be. I need some coffee.” She returned into her office, and immediately yelled, “WHERE’S MY COFFEE, you bastards?!”

“Over here, Mother!” her son, Larry said with a vibrant face, bringing her a cup of steaming coffee.

“THANK YOU, LARRY!”

“Ow!” Mom smacked Larry as she took the coffee.

“Mother, our cameras in Dagobah Outlet picked up a couple of GKND stragglers.” Her oldest son, Walt spoke, showing her some images on terminals of Nebula and Vweeb in the mall. “And it seems they’ve become acquainted with Professor Pollyx. The man who is supposed to be _working_ for us. I believe they are plotting against us.”

“Should we send the Killbots, Mother?” her other son, Igner asked.

“The Killbots have more important matters! Like disposing of that useless bending robot who left those graffiti markings everywhere. Besides, Pollyx knows what’ll happen if he thinks about stepping out of line.” Mom smirked. “I have an ACE up my hole.”

“I believe the expression is ‘ace up your _sleeve_ ’, Mother.” Walt corrected.

“I’LL ACE UP _YOUR_ SLEEVE!”

“Ow!” She smacked him.

“Now let’s focus on a way to get those renegade space-pirates back under our control. We built them to hunt ancient weapons of mass destruction for us, but they’ve decided to take ‘em for themselves! Tachyon even thinks they’re hunting this Dimensionator he keeps ratting about, SO HURRY UP AND-”

 _“Hope I’m not interrupting anything, Carol.”_ Tachyon spoke, suddenly appearing on their large window TV.

“Ohh, nothing I can’t slap my boys for, later. What do you want?”

 _“We have a problem, Carol: the Drophyd Transport Ship I ordered to take Sector V to Zordoom Prison seems to have shifted a change in schedule. I project a virus entered my network just now. While we resolve the issue, I want you to locate the Sector V group on Planet Amazonia. I know that you and Hancock have a,_ mutual _understanding.”_

“Oh ho, but of _course_.” Mom smirked. “Hancock may manipulate people using her petty _looks_ , but even SHE can’t deny a request from ME. GET ME MY fat-suit, Larry! We’re going on a little TRIP!”

 _“And while you’re at it, help us capture the rogue half-Zathurian that’s been flying around. Her kind is the only one that has a chance at stopping us, so we MUST do something about her. Until next time…”_ The screen went off.

“Sigh, it’s always one favor after another. He can’t expect me to do EVERY thing…”

“Perhaps we should send the Killbots after them, Mother.” Walt suggested.

“GREAT idea!” She pressed a button on her desk and ordered, “SEND the Killbots to dispose of the Kateenian and Zathurian, Jerry! Upload the images captured from the mall into their minds and HAVE them blow them to pieces!”

“But the Killbots was MY ideaaaa!” Igner whined.

“YOU SHOULD HAVE SUGGESTED IT BETTER!”

“Ow/Ow/OW!” She smacked all three of her sons.

**Great Clock**

Sigmund hummed to himself as he tried to repair a terminal in the hallway. The robot turned to grab a tool from his box, but- “GAAH!” was surprised to see MaKayla standing behind him, staring with her mysterious glowing blue eyes and holding the Chrono Staff. “You know, just because we robots don’t have hearts, doesn’t mean we don’t have something in our circuitry that projects a similar feeling when we get scared!”

“…”

“And you really should give that back to your father. That thing’s dangerous, you know.”

“…”

“…Why do you keep staring? What do you want with me? Unless…” Sigmund studied her closely for a few moments. Her mysterious silence… glowing eyes… holding the Chrono Staff as if it were her own. …It finally dawned on him. “I see now… you want to be a Junior Caretaker also! You secretly admire me and want to follow in my footsteps! Your eyes are brimming with excitement, and you’re too embarrassed to say it! And you’re hoping the staff will help, right??”

“…”

“Say no more!” Sigmund perked as he wrapped an arm around her. “Sigmund will teach you EVERY thing he knows! Um, I’m sure your father won’t mind about the staff. Haha. Anyway, I guess I’ll start by teaching you about these things.” MaKayla looked to the various broken terminals and pipes along the walls. “You see, the pipes help with the flow of quantum energy, which is the essence of timebending, and these terminals keep watch on their data and status.” He floated over to continue fixing his previous terminal. “These nasty creatures called Teratropes feed off quantum energy. They’re a regular nuisance and they eat away everything, so it’s our job to fix ‘em. When the terminal’s broke, you-…”

As he spoke, MaKayla simply walked up to a pipe and bashed it with her staff. Sigmund heard this and looked up, watching as the pipe fixed itself to normal. “Huh… well, that works. But can you-” MaKayla ran around and bashed all the broken material, and soon, the hall was fixed back to its regular self. “Well… you handled that faster than I would’ve. B-But this job won’t come right away, it takes years of work!” He spoke defensively. “Though come to think of it, Clockwork sorta gave it to me right away… b-but it was still a lot of work, and it was only because there wasn’t anyone else! Ahem…” he calmed down, “let’s move on, shall we?” And so, they continued down the hall.

“The Great Clock is made of 4.3 trillion moving parts,” Sigmund explained as they walked along an outer walkway, “making it the most complex piece of machinery in the known universe. Next to it is the IRIS Supercomputer and Terachnoid juice-maker. It is also the _oldest_ piece of machinery, being around since the beginning of time. But due to the quantum energy, its kept young and vibrant. So since you’re walking around barefoot, you won’t have to worry about dusty floors… But while its primary purpose is keeping time balanced in the universe, no machine can run without someone operating it. That was the job of Clockwork and it’s _now_ the job of your father. But we Junior Caretakers are a major necessity, too. …Ahh, and I think I hear our favorite pests.”

They entered a small hallway where some buggy, crab-like creatures roamed around, eating wires. “ _These_ are the Teratropes. _Really_ annoying. They’re mysterious creatures who feed off quantum energy. They’re about as annoying as any other bug, and just as hard to exterminate.”

MaKayla simply jumped around and bashed all the Teratropes with her staff, easily taking them out. “Very good! Now let me show you something really cool! Your brain might get a little confuzzled… see these switches right here?” There were 3 switches stationed before a wall. “Two of them, along with a third one, need to be held down to open the door above. But the middle one activates moving Wall Jump walls, to get up there. If you’re familiar with an ability called Time Recordance, that’s what you need to do.”

Of course, MaKayla _was_ familiar with the power. She twirled her staff and stuck it in place to begin recording. She went to stand on the left switch before snapping her fingers, restarting to her original spot. Her hologram mimicked her previous movements and stood on the left switch, while _she_ went to stand on the right. She restarted again to stand on the middle switch, making the two parallel walls stick out and scroll up. She restarted again, so her clone held down the switch and let her Wall Jump up. On the higher floor, she pressed the third switch to open the large door ahead. She then restarted one more time, letting her clones do their duties while she entered the opened door.

“Wow, you learn fast!” Sigmund proclaimed. “But hey, only because you had a great teacher! Anyway, we’ve made it to Planet Room Area 2. As your father explained, time anomalies are a common thing, so it’s his responsibility to fix them. And he does so using that Chrono Staff. Computer, what’s the status on the planets?”

_“Time anomalies detected on Planet Bespin.”_

“Hmm, I should call Jagar to fix it. But just this once, I’ll let _you_ take a crack.”

_“Ahem.”_

“Oh… and this is Doris, our main computer. She watches over things, too.”

_“A lot more than you do.”_

“Hey, who’s the Junior Caretaker here??”

_“I’m still at a higher rank.”_

“Ugh. Women. …Uh; no offense.” He said to MaKayla. “Robot women, though… Anyway, let’s look at this anomaly.” He led her onto a floating platform which carried them to a higher floor, where Sigmund guided MaKayla to Bespin’s holographic image. “If you look on the planet, there’s several blue beacons sticking up from the surface. Those represent time anomalies. If you aim your Chrono Scepter, you can zap the anomalies and fix them. Use the panel to turn the planet.”

MaKayla noticed the mini blue beacons moving about the planet. She turned the planet around and zapped every anomaly she found. Soon, the planet was back to its normal state. _“Time anomalies restored. Bespin will now return to its normal flow.”_

**Cloud City**

With time having returned to normal, the building that kept falling over and over was able to fall all the way. Cleveland Brown was exposed in his bathtub, and we all know what happened next. “No no no no NO NO!” He fell out. “In retrospect, a city hanging in the sky is a bad place to live.”

**Great Clock**

“Wow! You know, you’re actually kinda good with that thing!” Sigmund commented.

_“Someone’s gunning your job, Sigmund.”_

“Errrr. Uhhh.” Sigmund felt more nervous as he stared at MaKayla’s glowing eyes. “Shut up! Uhhh, well that’s enough training for tonight, I think. Any, uhhh, questions?”

“Yes.” MaKayla finally spoke. “Can you show me to Earth’s station?”

“Earth? Oh, uh, sure. Come this way.”

He led her to a transporter and warped to Sector 5, showing her Earth’s holographic image. “Thanks.” With that, she twirled her staff and stuck its handle into a slot, opening another portal. Before Sigmund could say anything, MaKayla jumped inside.

**Punk Hazard Frozen Lands; several weeks ago**

MaKayla took land in the snowy landscape, her feet buried beneath the thick snow. As the blizzards raged forth, the glow in her eyes vanished, feeling the cold upon her skin. “Brrr-r-r-r-r-r-r!” she shuddered. “You should NEVER go out in the snow in pajamas. Hu-u-u-u, why Suki gets a thrill out of frozen feet, I will never know. Okay, time to get moving. A wrecked train shouldn’t be too hard to find…” (Play “Freezeflame Galaxy (Ice)” from _Mario Galaxy_.)

 

_Stage 6: Punk Hazard Frozen Lands_

_Mission: Find the R.O.C.K.E.T.-T.R.A.I.N.’s wreckage._

MaKayla started the journey across the snowfields as Ice Chuchu already emerged from beneath the snow. She threw a Time Bomb to slow a group down, proceeding to bash them with her staff. She hurried to a mountainous area, where she had to cross a short chasm, in which the parallel cliff was higher than hers. There were Ice Keese flapping over the pit, but MaKayla tossed a Time Bomb to slow them down. Afterwards, she got on her Chrono Staff and bounced around like a pogo-stick, bouncing the slowed Keese and making it across.

She was at the base of the mountain, walking up a zigzaggy pathway where White Wolfos jumped out at her. She quickly tossed Time Bombs and bashed their heads, swiftly dodging any more that lunged at her. She got to a chasm with icy stalagmites sticking up from far below. On her right was a small path leading to a frozen plant with a frozen plumb. She aimed her Chrono Staff and Rewinded its time, causing it to eventually unfreeze. With that, she grabbed it and tossed it to the first stalagmite, sticking it on to make a platform.

Below the ledge on her left was a small platform, which she jumped across to reach a small opening further left in the cliff. She repeated the process on another plumb to unfreeze it. However, she couldn’t jump back up the cliff while holding the plumb, and she couldn’t throw it without risking it falling. She set it down for now and activated a Time Recordance, then tossed the plumb over the platform, letting it fall. She restarted the Recordance and quickly jumped to the platform, so her clone would throw it, and she would catch it. With that, she tossed it onto the ledge, where she jumped up and tossed it to the next stalagmite. With these two plumb platforms, she was able to jump across.

She came to another chasm where an avalanche was falling from above. There were several large stones mixed in with it, so MaKayla tossed a Time Bomb to slow the whole thing down. She jumped her way up the snowfall and landed safely on the ground above before its time flow returned to normal. As she continued along the snowfields, a swarm of White Wolfos leapt out, charging at her one at a time. She swiftly dodged and bashed them all with her staff, but more were coming rather quickly. When the next one came, she jumped and bashed its head as she flipped several feet away, falling into a hole covered by snow.

She found herself rolling down a hill inside a cave, getting trapped in a snowball as she rolled. She had to make the snowball jump any pitfalls or ice spikes, then eventually made it outside. Some White Wolfos were trying to jump at her, but the giant snowball easily trapped them in its thickness. The snowfield became flat again as she rolled to a wide lake with a few islands in it. She rammed another large snowball beside the lake and pushed it in, freezing an ice trail for her to roll across. She rolled to one of the islands and hit another snowball to roll an ice trail. She rolled across and then had to jump a series of small islands before hitting a snowball on the last one, rolling an ice path that took her to the shore. MaKayla finally rolled off a ledge and broke the snowball upon her land, freeing herself.

She stepped down a snowy hill and entered another ice cave. There was a river of shivering cold water and a raft that looks like it was frozen for decades. Using her Rewind, she unfroze the raft and got in, but since the paddles were lost, she used her staff to row it. She had to maneuver around mini icebergs and had to dodge falling icicles from the ceiling. The river started to flow downward in a snaky path, becoming much more rapid as she had to quickly maneuver around obstacles. It finally came to a forceful crash against a shore, flinging MaKayla headfirst into a snow mound, her legs sticking up. She forced herself out, landing on her rear as she shook snow off.

She reached a long, bottomless chasm with several giant icicles hanging overhead. They began to fall, one after another, so MaKayla had to be fast: she tossed a Time Bomb at the first one when it was low enough so she could jump across its top, then had to use Time Bombs to slow the following ones. ‘Course, since only one Time Bomb could be active at a time, she had to jump and throw them at the same time. It made her kind of frantic, but she was able to make the tricky jumps and reach the end of the cave, immediately catching her breath.

She looked before another snowfield, seeing a burning mass in the distance. She hurried forward, knowing her destination was in sight. (End song.)

Finally, MaKayla made it to the burning wreckage of the R.O.C.K.E.T.-T.R.A.I.N.. The children that were previously onboard had already chased Dillon’s team across the fields, she knew. With a twirl of her staff, she jumped around and whacked every part of the train. The fires disappeared as the parts fixed their selves back on. The train was good as new. _“Yoohoooo! SMILEEEEYY!”_

MaKayla looked in the distance, seeing the mountain of sludge that was Smiley. _“Ohhh, Smiley, it’s been so LOOoooong! And I’ve got you a SPECIAL treat!”_ MaKayla hurriedly got in the train and started it up, getting ready for liftoff. In a few moments, the explosion of Bang Gas-Z started to engulf the whole island.

At Punk Hazard’s lab, Nolan and the operatives escaped their cuffs and prepared to get away from their hanging cell. Above the skies, the R.O.C.K.E.T.-T.R.A.I.N. was soaring away from the island.

**Sector W7 Treehouse; after Punk Hazard**

Apis and Aeincha were in a videogame match while the others watched. April and Aisa were sitting on the floor, and Chimney sat on the chair by the couch. “Uwaaaah. I can’t believe they never got my Rocket-san outta the gas cloud. Is Bang Gas-Z really that scary??” (“Gyom, gyooom…”)

The treehouse suddenly shook slightly, making the girls fall off their seats. “Yaaaaay!” Aeincha won the game as a result, despite her Lilliputian size.

“Oi, who’s quakin’ our treehouse??” Chimney yelled as they hurried to the hangar. The girls’ mouths dropped, seeing the R.O.C.K.E.T.-T.R.A.I.N. back where it’s always been, much to Chimney’s delight. “OOOIII! ROCKET-SAAAAN!” She immediately dashed in, happy to see it in perfect condition, like it never crashed. “YOU ARE HOOOOOME!”

“Whoooa! What coulda happened?” Apis asked, studying the train’s interior.

“My train is so awesome, it decided to FIX itself and come on home!” Chimney beamed.

April wiped some dust off the control deck with her index. “Doesn’t know how to clean itself, though. Oh?” She noticed a paper on the deck. She picked it up and unraveled it to read it. “Someone left a note for us.”

Chimney took the note, and the others stared over her shoulders to read it. “Aaaahhh?”

**Great Clock; present time**

MaKayla appeared back in the Planet Room and began the walk back to her room. “There you are!” Sigmund yelled. “Where in the cosmos do you keep warping to?? Only a Senior Caretaker is allowed to Time Warp, if you did any major damage, Mr. King’s gonna-”

“Yeah, yeah. Yaaaaaawn.” MaKayla yawned. “I’m tired. Good night, Siggy.”

Sigmund reached out for her, but was at a loss of words again. “Ohhhh…”

“Hu-u-u-u-u. I can’t feel my toes.” MaKayla shuddered as she walked down the hall. “If I was going to a snowy wasteland, couldn’t you have warned me to bring my coat?” Her eyes brimmed blue, and the world around her turned black. In the darkness, Clockwork’s ghostly form appeared before her.

“I thought you’d enjoy it. You’ve always enjoyed exposing your body to the spiritual energies of the universe.”

“I still don’t understand. You’ve always said that it was dangerous to alter the past using timebending. So why are you asking me to do these things?”

_“Time is nothing but a large, flowing river of events. The river leads to many alternate directions. In the great quest that the universe follows, it sometimes requires to take one route, then return to follow another. Know that Time is deeply linked to Space… so when traveling through time, it is almost like crossing different dimensions. Some parts of the river last only for so long, having split from the main path, but in time, they return. This is one of those moments. Several individual parts of the timeline reach their end… but only by your hand, can they return to the full path.”_

“But it’s… so hard to understand.”

_“It is what was to be. If it were not… the clutters would do more harm than good. Several comrades of yours are in great danger right now. By fixing these clutters… you’ve made the water of time healthy for consumption.”_

“Uhhhh…” She didn’t get these metaphors.

 _“Good night. And, better take a bath in hot water.”_ The vision vanished, and MaKayla’s eyes dimmed to normal.

Her mind still swimming in confusion, she decided to head to the bathroom.

 

**You know what, I am officially at a stump, so I’m gonna end it here. =P Next time, Neb and Vweeb will OFFICIALLY head to Amazonia, and we’re gonna get our first major collectable, fighting the boss and everything. =P Siiiigh… this is the slowest progressing story. XP But hey, better than rushing it. I really can’t wait to get through this, ‘cause exciting stuff happens after this story. Soooo next time… progression. :P And maybe some Hancock background, but I dunno if that’ll be now. Later.**


	9. Mocha’s First Match

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nebula must rescue her friends from Hancock's clutches! But she's going to need help.

**Hey guys, welcome back, in this one we’re finally gonna be facing the first boss! Who is, not the most exciting boss… but it’s something!**

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Chapter 8: Mocha’s First Match

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**Shooting Star; lone asteroid in space**

The radio turned itself off after a while. The two finally woke up after three hours of peaceful, undisturbed sleep. Nebula slept as great as she always did, despite her uncomfortable position. Although her body felt rather numb after awakening.

“Yaaaawn. Boy, do I miss my cozy bed. How’d you sleep, Vweeb?”

“Yaaaawn.” Vweeb was still tucked behind her ear as he stretched. “A lot more than you did.”

“You Kateenians and your special privileges.” She shook her head. “Sigh… that was a nice sleep. Okay, it’s time to move out. We have to get to Amazonia and find that Dimensionator.” Nebula quickly started the ship up and took off.

“Hey, Nebula, when you read the message from that artifact… didn’t it say something about Six Clans, and 6 pieces, or something?”

“Yeah, it did… I’m guessing it means the Dimensionator’s broken into six pieces. And one of them is with the Amazonians.”

“But didn’t it also say something about the prize going to ‘someone who matches the size and strength of the Amazonians’?”

“I know… I guess it means they’ll only give it to one of their kind; or someone who’s just as big. I don’t suppose _you_ would be a worthy candidate?”

Vweeb glared. “My mom might, though. She isn’t as big, but, she’s strong, and she practically acts like them.”

“She does. Fine woman.” She smirked. “Anyway, I’m sure we’ll figure out something. Maybe they have growth potions or something…” And so, they continued on the flight to Amazonia.

**Amazonia; Hancock’s Throne**

Boa Hancock had her head rested in her hand as she sat on her throne. One leg crossed over the other as Chris Uno smoothed her toenails with a giant file, which he had to hold with both arms. “Arceus, please don’t let Cheren find out about this.” He whispered. “Can I take a break now?” he asked exhaustedly.

“Ohh?” She made teary eyes. “Don’t you want my nails nice and smooth?”

Chris couldn’t say ‘no’ to those gorgeous eyes. “Um… y-yes, of course I do.” So he returned to filing. Hancock smirked humorously as she stroked the petrified hair of Artie Gilligan on her left armrest.

A blond-haired Amazon named Margaret came up the stairs and spoke, “Empress Hancock, there are ships coming down. They belong to MomCorp.”

Hancock sat up with an angered look. “What does she want?! Oh well. Guess I better go.” She stood up, stepping on Chris (“Ow!”) before slipping her high-heels on. “I don’t want you getting rusty. Find your sister and smooth her nails.” She demanded as she walked away.

Chris lay smooshed flat on the ground. “Y…Yes, Ma’am.”

Hancock’s sisters accompanied her on the way out, stepping down the temple stairs as they approached the small group of spaceships hovering overhead. Mom stepped out on a small balcony on the flagship, alongside her sons, wearing her bluish-green fat-suit. “Why, hello, Boa.” She spoke in a loving, motherly tone. “My, look how thin you three look.” Her sons spared a weirded glance to the chubbier sister, Mariegold. “Strong, giant warriors, and you still know how to keep your figure.”

“You know men are forbidden on the planet, right?” Mariegold reminded with a hateful glare.

“Correct, which is why my boys aren’t _on_ the planet.”

“Well, you should know that _I_ barely allow you in my _atmosphere_.” Hancock retorted. “What do you want, Carol?”

“I’m on official business for Emperor Tachyon. It seems a group of human children have wandered onto this planet, and he would like me to find them. You haven’t seen them, have you, Dearie?”

 _“Children?”_ Hancock instantly knew what she was talking about. “No. I haven’t seen them.”

“You had better not be lying.” Walt spoke with a grim tone.

“Oh… you believe me, don’t you?” Hancock spoke with her teary eyes.

The boys immediately fell head-over-heels. “Of course we do…” Larry said.

“Of course… they might be hiding on my body somewhere.” :heart: Hancock winked.

The boys had hearts in their eyes, and their chest-hearts were beating out of control, drool falling from their mouths.

“QUIT YOUR GAWKING!!”

“Ow-Ow-Ow!” Mom slapped them.

“Peh. Stupid men.” Mom said in her hateful tone. “If you didn’t eat that Devil Fruit, they’d NEVER be as love-struck. Now did you see the pesky kids or not?”

“No, I haven’t.” Hancock stated more sternly. “Now why don’t you run back to your _man_ -master?”

Mom spoke caringly again, “Well, I’m sorry for wasting your time, Dearie. I’d love to scour this whole planet myself, but when you’re aiming to conquer a multitude of businesses, you just _can’t_ have the time. I’ll just be going now.” She turned to walk back inside, but stopped and turned back. “Oh, but if it’s alright, I’ll be sending Killbots to search the planet in my place. Don’t worry, they won’t be a nuisance.” With that, she and her sons continued inside, and the ships dropped a series of orange robots with tank wheels and machinegun hands before flying away.

“Alright, Killbots, Mom wants this whole planet searched for those children, captured dead or alive.” A Killbot spoke. “The best way to do that is combine our-”

“SOMEONE SAID ‘CARBINE’!” They immediately shot the previous Killbot. The rest of them decided to spread out and search the jungle, much to the worry of the Boa sisters.

“We’re not letting them roam about the jungle, are we?” Sandersonia asked.

Hancock sighed. “I wish we couldn’t… but you know what Mom has over us.” The taller sisters exchanged frowns. “Siiiigh… I suppose the surrounding warriors will deal with them. I think I need a bath…” She returned up the stairs, her sisters following with concerned expressions.

**Over Amazonia’s atmosphere**

The Shooting Star was finally coming into Amazonia’s atmosphere. _“So Tachyon is after a device called the Dimensionator, and one of the pieces lies on Amazonia?”_ Pollyx asked from the com..

“That’s right.” Nebula confirmed.

 _“As I expected!”_ Vweeb and Nebula gave disbelieved looks. _“Our texts make a few mentions of such a device, but I had to be sure.”_

“You know where we could find the other pieces?” Neb asked.

 _“Not really. But those Six Clans of unique culture, may be something to look in to. If the Amazonians are one of them… I wonder who else it may be? A-Anyway, good luck on your quest, and be careful. Those Amazonians are a nasty bunch. Women… heh heh heh. Eh…”_ Nebula glared. _“Emm… bye-bye now.”_ Transmission ended.

The ship flew over the planet’s jungle as they searched for a place to land. “Hey, what’re those robots down there?” Nebula asked.

“Those are Killbots!” Vweeb noticed. “They’re Mom’s special force of assassin robots. She usually sends them out to dispose of worn-out robots, but I wonder why they’re here?”

Down below, while the Killbots were searching the planet for Sector V, one looked up and noticed the small ship. “Hey, what is that? A shooting star?”

“SOMEONE SAID SHOOTING!” The others blasted the Killbot that noticed them, and at that instant, they all began blasting the spacecraft.

“Eyaaah, ’guess they’re after us!” Vweeb concluded.

“We’ll have to land someplace far away, avoid drawing attention. Tachyon probably wanted Mom to help hunt me down. But the Amazons shouldn’t let them run around either. I hope they’re going to help soon.”

The Shooting Star landed in a small opening in the jungle before they climbed out. “Where would we even look, anyway?” Vweeb asked.

“Chances are, the piece belongs to the Empress of Amazonia, Boa Hancock.”

“Boa Hancock??” Vweeb was suddenly excited. “The prettiest woman in the universe?? Oh, it’s been my DREAM to… look at her!”

“Hoyyy-yoi-yoi.” She shook her head. “Just don’t catch her when she’s doing something private. A bug like you, she’ll show no mercy.” (Play “Cobalia Wilderness” from _Ratchet: Tools of Destruction_.)

 

_Stage 7: Amazon Jungle_

_Mission: Get to Boa Hancock’s Temple._

The two passed through some trees and arrived at a small camp area of huge log walls, where Killbots were roaming around. Nebula exchanged a serious nod with Vweeb before they ran out, and Nebula began blasting the robots with her S.H.O.O.T.E.R.. “HEY, it’s those aliens we’re supposed to be looking for! Fire, fire!”

“You mean ‘shoot them,’ right?” another asked. “I don’t want a repeat of the last incident-”

“SOMEONE SAID ‘INCINERATE’!” They blasted the robot that said that. All fire was then directed at Nebula, who dodge-flipped as Vweeb jumped off her shoulder. The speedy little Kateenian hurried to the first robot, jumping up its tank-wheels and into an opening. He made it to the head and reprogrammed it to fire at other Killbots, but the others averted fire and blasted their ally. Vweeb jumped out before it exploded, but in their distraction, Vweeb was able to toss grenades at the others.

Once they were knocked down, Neb and Vweeb searched for a way out of the tall log walls. There were a few small forts in the camp with bridges leading to each other. There were also clotheslines with giant laundry hanging from them. Once again, women. Nebula climbed a ladder to the first floor of the fort, then had to cross a bridge with a Killbot patrolling. When the robot turned, Nebula ran up to toss a grenade from behind, easily destroying it. They crossed to the alternate fort, where Nebula had to launch her G.R.A.P.P.L.U.H. to reach the next floor. From there, she used a row of G.R.A.P.P.L.U.H. targets to swing back to the other fort, where they found one end of the clothesline.

Vweeb crossed the line to the top of one of the walls, jumping over and out of the camp. With that, he made his way around to the entrance (a little difficult since he had to trek a jungle of grass). There was a Bombbot walking around outside, which Vweeb climbed in to activate his self-destruct. Vweeb quickly jumped out and ran before the robot erupted a powerful explosion that destroyed the wall’s entrance. Nebula smiled at his success as she jumped down and exited the camp, picking Vweeb up as they moved along.

They got to an open area where a river flowed through. Nebula ran in and tossed grenades at the robots, then began dodging when they fired machineguns. She ran between Killbots and tricked them to blasting each other (it’s a lot easier with them than other enemies), then ducked behind a rock to catch her breath. “It’s hard to focus when they’re firing nonstop!” Nebula panted.

“You’re not the one with sensitive ears.” Vweeb stated. He hurried out and blasted his Stun gun at one’s wheels, causing it to spin out of control and shoot its allies. He was the only one left, and as he looked around, he said, “Oh man. I’m gonna get fired.”

“SOMEONE SAID ‘FIRE’!” Nebula exclaimed, running out to blast and destroy him.

They passed through more trees and saw another, larger camp, where Killbots were sawing down trees outside. They were about to run out and attack them, but the robots were immediately shot by giant arrows, and the kids gaped when a group of cavewoman Amazons stepped out, wielding bows. “Ugh. Man or manbot, they no have ANY respect for nature.” one stated.

“Haaack! Women!” Vweeb snickered. “Ope-” Nebula cupped a hand over him.

“Where these robots come from, anyway?” another Amazon asked.

“Perhaps we talk to Empress Hancock about them?” another suggested.

“No, I hear she taking bath. It disrespectful to disturb her. Women deserve privacy.”

“Yes. Besides, would not want to get cursed.” With that, they returned through the woods.

Nebula and Vweeb stepped out of hiding as Vweeb said, “Definitely wouldn’t wanna get squashed by them.”

“They were talking about a curse. I wonder what they meant?”

“Who knows what girls are talking about nowadays. …Eh, no offense.”

Nebula eye-rolled. “Let’s just hurry.”

They entered the camp and found two Killbots around a fireplace, roasting some dead alien animal. “You know, I can understand wanting to hunt down and kill nosy children… but why does Mom always use us to hunt down her dinner?”

“She’s cheap, that’s why. This way, she doesn’t have to kill the supermarket owners and have to pay for their funeral.”

“But I thought she just sent secret _assassins_ to do that?”

“She does. But then she has to kill _them_ to avoid paying THEM!”

“AAAAHH HA HA HA!”

Nebula immediately tossed grenades to wipe them out. “Sorry, but Mom isn’t getting her serving tonight.”

“You know she’ll just steal her kids’.” Vweeb noted.

“Yeah, I know.”

There was a Bombbot at the top of this camp’s fort, but the ladder that led up to the fort was held up by two ropes. They looked to the corner and saw the familiar stand that belonged to Numbuh 20x40. They approached as his hologram presented itself. _“Hey-hey-hey! Didn’t think I abandoned THIS old thing, did ya?! Take a trip down memory lane, with GKND’s classic N.I.N.S.T.A.R.! A weapon that NEVER gets old, just like that cruddy ninja manga that JUST needs to end! Just 3000 Bolts!”_

Nebula paid the amount through the stand’s transporter before 20x40 sent the shuriken device. _“It’s all yours, Mac! Um, Macette. Now go show them giant women how it’s done! (And send me some photos if ya get the chance.)”_

 **Galactic Kids Next Door: N.I.N.S.T.A.R.  
N**inja **I** tem **N** iftily **S** lices **T** errorizing **A** ttackers **R** eadily

With the N.I.N.S.T.A.R., Nebula was able to cut the ropes holding the ladder and bring it down so she could climb up. She had to climb a few more ladders before reaching the top where the Bombbot waited. She grabbed the small robot and tossed it at a cracked end of the log wall, blowing it up to reveal a cliff over a misty chasm. There was a pathway that led down and to the right, so the two followed along. Nebula had to swing G.R.A.P.P.L.U.H. targets to get across gaps, and when there was a row of targets, boulders were falling between them, so she had to wait for them to pass before swinging.

She landed on a platform, where a wide chasm separated them and the next ledge, where a Killbot sat. There were several rocks sticking up from this ledge, which protected the two as the Killbot began blasting. It destroyed the rocks after a few seconds of shooting, but it would soon reach them. “Well, this isn’t the best place to be. Any ideas?” she asked Vweeb.

The Kateenian noticed the rock on the left had a yellow glow emanating. “Hey… can we destroy that one?”

Curious, Nebula tossed a grenade and blew it up, revealing a Yellow Drill Wisp. “It’s a Wisp!” The creature looked with surprise before immediately flying into Nebula’s body, her body glowing yellow. “Whoa! I guess I can use its powers, too…”

“Well, you better use it fast.” Vweeb said as the Killbot was ready to destroy their hiding place. She flipped toward the wall and called, “DRILL!” to burrow into the cliffside. She drilled directly past the Killbot’s ledge, causing it to get unstable and make him fall. There were other Killbots seated on ledges, so Nebula drilled past them all to make them plummet.

_Skill Point acquired: “Someone said Drill!”_

She reverted to normal when she drilled into a cave, whose entrance was on another ledge. They passed through and found their selves behind a waterfall, jumping through and seeing it continued from the river they passed earlier. This lower river led them to a small ledge that overlooked a vast valley where Amazons roamed. They jumped down as Nebula approached a cavewoman Amazon, while Vweeb hid in her ear. “Um, excuse me? Can you tell me how to find Hancock’s Palace?”

“It big structure over there.” She pointed to the tall temple in the distance. “Empress taking bath now, so not best time to visit.”

“Guess that’s why it’s important to call ahead o’ time!” Vweeb remarked from Neb’s ear.

“Huh? Who said that??” another Amazon asked.

“Uhhh… I have a coniferous earwig… it’s a real chatterbox.”

“YUCK!!” Vweeb popped out of her ear, covered in wax. “Shoulda packed Q-tips for the trip, huh??”

“Hey! It’s a man!” the Amazon shouted.

“That man? Look smaller than normal.” the cavewoman said.

“It’s so cute!” another one squealed. “Can he do my hair?”

“Sorry. He’s mine.” Nebula declared before tossing a grenade at the woman.

“She want tiny man to self!” the cavewoman yelled. “Beat her ‘til she learns to share!” They raised spears and stabbed down at her, but Nebula jumped back and blasted them with her S.H.O.O.T.E.R.. Other Amazons launched arrows, but Nebula dodged and threw her N.I.N.S.T.A.R. to cut their bows. It took more grenades than normal to knock them out, but they still prevailed nonetheless. Vweeb shot his Stun gun at some incoming Amazons, but it barely stunned their huge bodies, only slowing them a little. But while they were slowed, Nebula shot their shins to make them fall, but it took several hits for it to work.

They decided to bypass any remaining ones and hurried through the trees, still following the river’s route. They reached a cliff over a swamp area, where crocodiles swam around below. A set of G.R.A.P.P.L.U.H. targets led down to a raft tied to a rock, so they swung across and landed safely on. They untied the raft and began to flow down the river, while crocs were swimming up to munch them. Nebula had to shoot and keep them back, while also having to move the raft left and right to avoid rocks in the river.

They began to flow into a cave, where rows of Lockjaw piranhas leapt out from ahead attempting to bite them, but they moved the raft into the gap of the Lockjaw rows and missed them. This process went on a few more times before a row popped up, in which one of the Lockjaws was actually an Orange Rocket Wisp. Nebula moved the raft so the Wisp would land on her, and she was able to absorb it. At that instant, a giant Lockjaw, as wide as the river, jumped up to swallow them whole, but Nebula changed to a- “ROCKET!” and propelled upwards with Vweeb through a hole.

They landed in a jungle area and passed through to reach a wide river area with several large platforms and wide bridges leading between them, with Amazons patrolling them. “You know, if they don’t see me, you don’t have to fight them.” Vweeb noted.

“Yeah… but we also wouldn’t get EXP.” With that, Nebula ran on and started to toss grenades at the Amazons, making them slip and fall in the rushing river. One platform didn’t have a bridge leading to it, but Nebula used G.R.A.P.P.L.U.H. targets to swing across. The next platform didn’t have a bridge either, but Nebula saw the Space Lights down in the water. She conjured Space Blocks in those spots and used them as platforms to reach the ladder leading onto the next platform. They crossed a few more bridges, taking out Amazonians, before reaching the jungle again.

They followed an open path through the woods, which made a right turn to a straight, wide route where several lines of Killbots rolled forward. “We’re far beyond the front lines, aren’t we?” Vweeb said.

“Hang on… I might have a plan.” Nebula picked up a small rock and threw it into a bush across from them.

“Huh?” A Killbot stopped to look around. “Did you hear something?”

“SOMEONE SAID ‘SUBMACHINE’!” The line behind them blasted and destroyed the front, the ones behind _them_ shot them, then the ones behind them, then behind them, until the very back row was left. The kids easily crossed the path and took the last line of Killbots out.

They got to a small enclosing with a ledge that overlooked another small river. Above them was a Rocket Wisp trapped in a wooden cage hanging from a branch, so Nebula tossed a N.I.N.S.T.A.R. to drop the cage and make it smash open on the ground. The Wisp shot into her body and let her absorb its power. “ROCKET!” She flew horizontal this time as they flew down the river, having to maneuver up and down as Lockjaws jumped up at different heights, munching as usual. The Rocket power was still limited, so Nebula had to grab other Orange Wisps on the way.

Another Giant Lockjaw leapt up to feast on them, so Nebula flew even higher, above the jungle and still grabbing Rocket Wisps as she flew. Killbots were dropping from ships above, floating down on parachutes as they tried to shoot Nebula. At one point, one Killbot was above another, but she flew in the space between and caused them to shoot each other. She then had to fly down and up and down and up to avoid Killbots in those respective directions, then had to dodge quickly when Killbots fell in random areas without parachutes.

They drew closer to the palace as Vweeb stood on the tip of Nebula’s rocket. “Alright! We’re almost there!”

“Good. Hopefully we’ll be able to find-” But as luck would have it, the Color Power finally wore off. “Uh-oh.” Nebula fell fast toward the ground while Vweeb fell after her slowly, being a lighter weight. However, a bird flew by and caught the Kateenian in its beak. “Vweeb!!”

“Hey!” Vweeb shook as he dangled by the shirt in its beak. “Kateenians aren’t part of the worm family, so back off!” He shot the bird’s eye and caused it to drop him straight to the temple. “Aaaaaaahhh!” He fell into a roof window that was oddly steamy.

After a forceful impact on the ground, Nebula dizzily recovered and hurried up the long stairway to the temple entrance. There stood the blue-haired cavewoman, Kug, who spoke, “You no look like from around here. You friend of earlier humans?”

“Earlier humans? …Um, I’m here to talk to your empress. Mind if I come in?”

“Empress taking bath. No disturb. I give you tour of palace, until she done.” With that, Kug walked in as Nebula decided to follow.

 _Hope Vweeb don’t get in too much trouble._ she thought. (End song.) 

**Foggy room of the palace**

“Gyaaaahh- uuh!” Vweeb bounced on the ground of some hot, foggy area, standing up to look around. “Cough, cough… euh… where am I?” Vweeb struggled to keep his eyes open. The thick, steamy fog was making his tiny body sweat, and it was so hard to see through. Still squinting his eyes, he reached his arms out and tried to feel around. He felt himself walk into a hard, solid wall, feeling around until he reached what felt like a rugged gap. He climbed to the next level, then approached the wall above, climbing up its gap.

He walked forward and stopped above a ledge, overlooking what seemed like a vast ocean. The fog was still too thick, but he could hear waves for miles. He looked around and saw the shadow of another land mass to his right. He approached the land mass and proceeded to walk across. Huge globs of water covered the odd, peach-colored surface. He crossed a hill that was a few feet above the lower ground. He didn’t notice the tremendous eyes that opened on either side.

The hill ended at a ledge which Vweeb jumped down, and on either side of the cliffside were two parallel caves, with strange, giant hairs in both of them. Vweeb walked forward and crossed two, soft hills, which were oddly designed like lips. He then stood atop another high ledge, overlooking a vast valley between two, wide mountains. “Huuu…” Vweeb sighed, the heat growing stronger by the minute. “This sure is a lot… to fit in one palace. Am I… even in there? Whoa!” The mysterious ground started to quake, and before Vweeb realized, the vast landscape seemed to turn vertical. “Whooooa!” Vweeb fell past the round mountains and past several more miles of landscape before finally splashing in the sea.

“Bl-l-l-l-lurp, heeelp!” Vweeb frantically shook in the deep, thick water, hoping someone would hear him in this vast, foggy sea. But no one could possibly be around, and it seemed hopeless. The ocean’s waves proved superior to his tiny, feeble body. Like a bug that mindlessly slipped in the pool, doomed to drown. It wasn’t long before he sunk, and the water quickly slipped in to his tiny lungs. But before his end, a massive platform suddenly rose from below, saving his life. As Vweeb coughed water out, the platform whooshed and let him spill onto the land around the sea.

Vweeb shook back to his senses, seeing humongous waves surf over due to a force of incomprehensible size. Vweeb looked directly up, but the fog blocked his view of the gargantuan figure. The giant seemed to go up for miles, stretching all the way to the stratosphere. Finally, the giant knelt down, its face drawing closer and closer to little Vweeb. The tiny alien’s mouth dropped: the ground that Vweeb was walking on was the face of a beautiful giant of immeasurable size and beauty. The twin caves were her nostrils, the hills were her gorgeous lips, and the mountains… well, you get the point.

 _“Ohhhhh!”_ The tremendous giantess’s gasps echoed for hundreds of miles in Vweeb’s tiny ears. _“You… What are you…?”_

“Uhhhhhhh…” Vweeb has never felt more madly in love. “I was just… dropping in…”

 _“Did you come in… to visit me?”_ she asked with a red face.

“Yes… I came to visit you…” Vweeb’s face turned more red, making a goofy smile.

_“But… you’re just so tiny… how could you make it all the way here?...”_

“Heheheh… I guess I… just wanted it so bad…”

 _“Mmmmm.”_ Boa Hancock turned around. “Such a small little man… and yet… so very desperate.”

“Ehhhh… Huh?” But Vweeb shook back to his senses when he had a clear view of Hancock’s back. “Hey. On your back…”

“!!!” Hancock was stricken with horror. She spun around and slammed her hand on the side of the tub, greatly shaking the earth at Vweeb’s height. “You!! You can’t tell ANY one about that!”

“Uh… But w-what is it?”

“Just don’t tell anyone… please?” She made a beautiful pose that Vweeb could never resist.

“Aaaahhhhh… O-Okay.”

“Hm-hm-hm…” She scooped the teeny, speck-sized boy onto her pinky nail. “Awwww… you’re so nice.” She picked him up and lightly held him to her chest. “I’d like it if you stayed here… and be my pet.”

“Gladly…” Vweeb seemed to lose all common sense, his love taking total control. “I’ll gladly… be your pet.”

**With Nebula**

“This our exercise room.” Kug explained as they passed a huge room of giant exercise equipment. Amazons were running on giant treadmills, lifting giant weights, bending on giant exercise balls, and shooting giant arrows at normal-sized targets. “Where warriors train and be ready in case evil man attack. Keep physique young and beautiful.” They then walked by a large gym where Amazons were playing basketball. “Here our indoor basketball court. We no can dunk, but good fundamentals. That more fun to watch.”

“Mm-hm… that’s nice.” Nebula didn’t really have time for this stuff. “Um… I really need to speak to your empress. So, if we could move this along quickly…”

“Empress taking bath. No disturbing. Especially because of Curse Mark.”

“Curse Mark?…”

“Long time ago, Hancock and sisters battle evil snake demon, called Medusa. They take Medusa’s power, so Empress now turn people to stone. They bare Medusa’s evil eyes on backs: anyone look into them, get turned to stone. That’s why no one go in when empress sisters take bath.”

“Hmmm…” Nebula had trouble believing this tale. It was something to look into…

“You wait in guest room ‘til she can come out. We got other guests today, with own man slaves. If you ask, but they no listen, so you demand, they do your hair.” She showed Nebula to a small room before walking away.

“Okay… thanks.” Nebula felt her black-and-white hair with a worried look. _What’s wrong with my hair?_ She entered the open doorway, but stopped in surprise when she saw who was there. It was Sector V, in which the boys seemed to be serving the girls. Harry brushed Haylee’s hair, Dillon painted Kirie and Vanellope’s fingernails, and Mason fed Haru and Sheila berries.

“You know, Chrissie, this’d make a great occupation for you.” Aurora smiled as she relaxed in a chair while Chris smoothed her toenails. “Maybe you can find a part-time job in Sector J.”

“Not in a million years…”

“Sector V?!” The kids looked up and noticed Nebula in the doorway.

“Nebula??” Aurora exclaimed, jumping to her feet. “You’re alive!”

“Ho, thank goodness!” Chris beamed. “Maybe YOU can reason with these Amazons!”

“Think about it.” Nebula smirked sarcastically. “How did you all escape?”

“Vanellope hacked their computer and tricked them to flying here.” Aurora replied. “We met their empress, and… you know, stuff.”

“Hold on, where’s Artie?”

“You aren’t gonna believe this,” Harry projected, “but Artie got turned to stone!”

“What??”

“That empress has some weird power that turns people to stone!” Aurora followed.

“It’s the Curse of Medusa!!” Haylee exclaimed. “It’s real!!”

“Yah… but she’s _soooo_ beautiful, though.” Aurora noted.

“Yeah… she is.” Haylee agreed as hearts were in their eyes.

“Ugh, don’t take a gurgle from those blokes.” Sheila stated. “Ever since we met that empress, they’ve been goo-goo ga-ga over her. Ah mean, whaddo they see in her??”

“Frankly, _I_ ain’t so lovey-dovey… but even _I_ feel somethin’ for her.” Harry mentioned. “Artie, I understand… but me?”

“Hmmm…” This made Nebula curious. “Well, anyway… I’ll have to try and reason with her so she’ll change Artie back. There’s actually something _else_ I want from her, too. Let’s see if I can-”

“Hey, you. Brown female.” Nebula turned when Ornik walked in. “Empress Hancock sisters want to see you.”

She walked out as Nebula followed her with a curious look. The Sector V members exchanged glances and joined them.

They went to the palace’s dining room, where the towering Boa sisters awaited them. Mariegold and Sandersonia wore suspicious looks while Hancock had a flirty smile, glancing down at her left shoulder. “Hmm… I heard that we had another guest?”

“Uhhh… that’d be me.” Nebula raised her hand. “Are you… Empress Hancock?”

“Hm hm hm!” Hancock giggled. “So you’re the one who brought this cute little guy!”

“Y-Yeah… wait, huh?” Nebula looked closer, finally noticing the tiny blue-white dot on her shoulder. Her little friend was lovingly rubbing his head against her neck. “Vweeb!!”

“Ohh, so that’s his name!” Hancock blushed. “It’s so cute! Can I keep him?”

“Unfortunately, no. I need him.”

“Pretty _pleeeease_?” Hancock made teary eyes. “I promise I’ll find you a new pet.”

“Aww, just let ‘er keep him…” Aurora said as the team (minus Sheila) fell infatuated.

“No!! And Vweeb isn’t my pet, he’s one of my operatives, AND my friend.”

“HUUU!!!” The Amazons gasped loudly.

“Tiny male is superior female’s FRIEND??” Kug questioned.

“She no use him to scrub inside of smelly shoes after day of invigorating exercise?” Thog asked.

“No! Well, sometimes… er, but that isn’t the point! Just because someone looks inferior to you doesn’t mean you can treat them as servants. We ALL know girls are superior to boys, but there’re better ways of showing that.”

“I second that!” Aurora declared.

“YEAH!” Haylee cheered.

“WHOSE HAIR WERE WE DOING?!” Chris and Harry yelled.

“Hmph. The day I think of men as _friends_.” Hancock stated smugly. “They think so highly of themselves, treating women like tools. The only people you can trust are _women_. The only ones you can rely on to run a society. Girl rhymes with world, so we’re a perfect match.”

“Yes, what would our society be without fundamentals of basketball, or _Twilight_ , or Arceus forbid nail-polish- Ow!” Chris was smacked by Aurora.

“Your nails would look a bit nicer if you tried it…” she stated.

“Hmph. Exactly what I mean.” Hancock glared. “The only place in the cosmos for you are as slaves.”

“Siiiigh. Well, I guess it’s not my place to try and change the customs of a different culture.” Nebula said. “But Artie and Vweeb are still our operatives and we want them back.”

“Sorry.” Hancock said as she pulled out Artie’s frozen form, petting his head. “But I’ve already grown to love _both_ of these boys. Boys rhymes with toys, you know, and they’re so fun to play with. But if you want ‘em so bad…” Hancock smirked, “you can always _fight_ for them.”

“Fight for them?”

“When women wish for the freedom of captured men, they must fight our warriors in Kuja Colosseum.” Mariegold explained. “If you win, all the captured men go free. If you lose… they get _snu-snu_.”

“Uhhhhh they’re a little too young.” Aurora mentioned.

“Then I guess I’ll just crush them.” Hancock said simply.

“Say what?!” Vweeb exclaimed.

 _“I’ll do it gently…”_ Hancock said with a loving look.

“Okay, My Lady…” Vweeb said infatuated again.

“Wait a moment!” Sandersonia spoke up. “The rules say that _Amazonians_ can fight for men’s freedom, and they’re allowed to bring support. If they fight in the colosseum, an Amazonian has to be with them.”

“It only fair.” Kug said. “Tiny female get smooshed if fight alone. She need equal chance like everyone else.”

“If you say so.” Nebula shrugged. “Anyone wanna help out? Anyone?” The Amazons in the room exchanged worried glances. “Sigh… well, that puts a hole in things.”

At that instant, everybody jumped with surprise when the entire temple shook. The Amazonian Margaret ran in and yelled, “Empress! A train just fell from the sky!”

“What?!”

Everyone immediately headed outside, seeing a huge silver train crashed into a crater in the ground. “And… so does that.” Nebula remarked.

“Nnnn-NYAH!” The train’s door was forced open by a familiar giant girl with black hair, covered in soot. The rest of her friends dizzily climbed out.

“Nnnn… Did I make it in less than 10 parsecs?” Chimney asked, eyes spinning.

“I don’t think that’s how it works, Chimney…” Apis said.

“Hey, it’s Mocha!” Dillon beamed. “And Sector W7!”

“… _Wait a minute_ …” Nebula’s attention was instantly fixed on the giant girl. She hurried down the stairway and ran to the dizzied team as they recovered. “You guys. What’re you doing here?”

“Nnnn, we got this note that told us to come here at this specific date!” Chimney spoke, showing Nebula the note. (“Gyoooom!”)

Nebula took the paper and read it curiously. “It…It says ‘Nebula will need Mocha’s help.’ It lists the date, and the coordinates for this planet.”

“You’re Nebula, aren’t you?” Mocha asked.

“Yeah… and _you_ were one of Caesar’s victims?” she remembered. Mocha nodded. “But… you’re about as big as an Amazon. Which means…”

“Hey!” They turned back to find the Boa sisters. “Are these girls friends of yours?” Hancock asked.

Nebula faced her with a serious look as she raised a hand to Mocha. “This is Mocha, my Amazon friend. She’ll be fighting with me.”

“OOWAAAAH! YOU’RE AN AMAZON?!” Chimney screamed. (“Gyom-gyooooom!”)

“Uhhhhh…” Mocha was confused. “Y-Yeah… I guess so.”

“Very well.” Hancock decided. “The combat will begin in one hour. We will show you to the arena so you may prepare.”

**Kuja Colosseum**

It was five minutes until the combat, and the stadium was swarming with cheering Amazon women. Well, they weren’t really cheering, just chatting loudly about the match or other things. The arena itself was a circular platform several feet above a lower floor surrounding. On the north end was a stairway leading to the throne of Boa Hancock, where the empress sat with her sisters by her side. Inside a south lobby, Nebula was refueling her weapons while Mocha was trying to lift Amazon-sized weights. “Even at MY size, these things are heavy. Why did I have to fight in this?”

“Because our operatives are in danger, and we can only save them by winning this combat. Unfortunately, we need an Amazon to fight, and your size fits that category.”

“But I’m still just a human.” Mocha frowned. “I can’t match their strength just because I’m giant.”

“Even if you can’t, I can back you up with my weapons. Thankfully we’re allowed to use them. …Who sent you that note, anyway?”

“Chimney said the R.O.C.K.E.T.-T.R.A.I.N. just appeared in their hangar and the note was in it; after the Punk Hazard thing. We assumed you or one of your friends sent it.”

“How can that be? None of this started happening until yesterday. And you weren’t even an operative. No one could have known this whole thing would happen.”

“Then… who do you think did it?” Mocha asked worriedly.

“I don’t know… but if they called you for help, I’d hope they have good intentions…”

Once their gates opened, Nebula and Mocha nervously stepped out into the stadium, walking up one of the thin stairways to the ring. “Welcome to Kuja Colosseum, where two fearless females dare to challenge our warriors for the freedom of two tiny man-slaves!” one of the announcers spoke. “On to you, Nog!”

“Thank you, Cosmos.” A cavewoman Amazon followed. “Stepping into ring is child Amazon, Mocha, and tiny-slave leader, Nebula.”

“YAAAAAY MOCHAAAA!” Chimney screamed from the audience. (“Gyom-gyooooom!”)

Mocha nervously waved to her friends. The two skimmed the arena, waiting eagerly for their opponents.

“Today, these two will face a series of mighty Amazon Warriors, along with the esteemed sisters of Empress Hancock!” Cosmos announced. “If they win, the male slaves are theirs to play with once again! But if they lose, the boys will meet their ends under the bottoms of Hancock’s lovely heels. Will these girls bring the goods? Let’s find out. Nog?”

“Let combaaaat begin!” Nog exclaimed. (Play the “Arena Combat” theme from _Ratchet: Up Your Arsenal_.)

“Can’t we have something besides _Ratchet & Clank_?” Vweeb asked.

Shut up.

 

_Sub-game: Kuja Colosseum_

_Mission: Win the combat and rescue Vweeb and Artie._

“First to enter the ring, our lovely line of mighty Stone-Swingers!” Cosmos announced as a squad of Amazons swinging ropes tied around stones charged in and hurled their weapons at the two. Mocha grabbed some of the ropes and pulled the Amazons forward before shoving them away. Nebula quickly dodged the large, fast projectiles and blasted the women with her S.H.O.O.T.E.R., only damaging them a little bit. They hurled their stones again, but Nebula tossed grenades and destroyed the stones. A squad of Amazons piled onto Mocha, but Nebula blasted them to weaken their grip, allowing Mocha to knock them around. She managed to grab one by the legs and swing it into other Amazons to knock them out of the ring. She stopped as the one she was swinging was dizzy, so Mocha proceeded to toss her out.

“Up next are sword and axewomen. They make kids go slice.” Nog announced as the next squad charged in. Nebula swiftly dodged one’s axe, thankfully small enough to do so, before running underneath and dropping grenades at her legs. One swung her axe at Mocha, who grabbed and held it back before kicking her in the knee. Mocha took the axe and used it to clash with the weapons of other Amazons, flinging the weapons of their hands and knocking them to the ground. An Amazon thrusted her sword at Nebula, who jumped on it, ran to her face, and slammed another grenade against it.

Two Amazons ran at Mocha from both sides, but the giant girl ducked and kicked both feet at their shins, knocking them down before thrusting her elbow against their stomachs. With that, she proceeded to push them out of the ring, exchanging a smirk with Nebula.

“That’s it for the swordswomen.” Cosmos frowned. “Oh well! All that matters is that they tried!”

 _“Women- OW!”_ Chris echoed.

“But don’t worry! I’m sure the archers will do perfectly!”

The next team of Amazons came, all standing around the ring as they aimed their bows. The two dodged as the arrows launched, but one of them grazed Mocha’s arm below the shoulder. “Nnn!” She winced, but still ran forward, barely dodging the other arrows as she shoved an Amazon over the edge. Nebula blasted her S.H.O.O.T.E.R. at two’s eyes, making them squint as Neb ran between them, tricking them into shooting each other’s legs. “Ow!”

“Sorry.”

“It’s okay. Everyone make mistake.”

“Yeah, but this is on PURPOSE!” Nebula exclaimed before launching a N.I.N.S.T.A.R. and scraping all around their bodies, allowing Nebula to run in front and toss bombs at their feet, causing them to fall back over the edge. The other Amazons ran around as they blasted arrows at Mocha, but the giant girl was able to grab some and hurl them back. Nebula tossed a N.I.N.S.T.A.R. and sliced the strings on some of their bows, allowing Mocha to run up and easily lay punches on them. When two more took aim at her, Mocha held up an unconscious one as a shield, then ran forward to swing that Amazon into the others.

“Hmmmm. Dese girls are good. Women are usually in prime, the younger they are.” Nog said. “Not that age have any effect.”

“I think it’s time these girls move on to the NEXT round!” Cosmos announced. “Next, let us welcome the champions of Kuja Colosseum: the esteemed Gorgon Sisters! Boa Mariegold, and Boa SANDERSONIA!”

The slim, snake-tongued sister that was Sandersonia, and the obese, stern-faced sister Mariegold stepped onto the ring, standing much taller than the previous warriors. The two operatives wore smirks of confidence, however. “Heh! We’ll knock you BOTH off your feet!” Nebula declared. “’Cause you know what happens, the bigger they are!”

“That may be so. But what if we had no feet to fall off of?” Sandersonia asked.

“Huh?”

“Gorgon Sisters: TRANSFORM!” The two touched hands and flashed as a rushing background suddenly appeared behind them.

“Form oooof: King Cobra!” Before their eyes, Mariegold transformed into a giant, yellow King Cobra.

“Form of: Anaconda!” Just as well, Sandersonia transformed into a giant anaconda snake.

Nebula and Mocha looked with surprise and fear as the massive snakes stared with wide smiles, hissing loudly. “Uhhhh… that sort of changes things.” Nebula said worriedly.

“Know the power of the curse brought onto us by Medusa.” Sandersonia hissed.

“This is your last chance to run away now…” Mariegold declared.

“Not a chance!” Mocha said determinedly. “I’m tired of running away! I’m staying to help my friends!”

“So am I.” Nebula decided. “No matter what happens… I need to find the Dimensionator and save GKND.”

 _Dimensionator?_ This caught Hancock’s interest.

“It’s Nebula and Mocha vs. Boa Mariegold and Sandersonia!” Cosmos announced.

“Let one-sided combat begin!” Nog exclaimed.

 

_Boss fight: Boa Mariegold and Boa Sandersonia_

The devious snakes hissed once more before gnashing rapidly at Nebula and Mocha, the kids frantically dodging away. Nebula ran back a good distance before tossing a N.I.N.S.T.A.R. at Sandersonia. “Hissss, _attack from the front, then from behind, then repeats.”_ Knowing this, the thinner sister dodged her head right, letting the shuriken pass, and when it kept coming back, she easily moved her head around and evaded it. She finally caught it in her fang and threw it back, but Nebula blocked it with another one.

Mocha tried to run around Mariegold as the bigger sister tried to smash her with her tail, but Mocha dodged the tail before getting behind and attempting to wrap both arms around the tail. She was unable to lift the gigantic snake, who ended up flinging Mocha away with her tail. Once in the air, Mocha was punched and slammed into one of the arena’s columns.

“Nnn!” Nebula faced Sandersonia with nervousness, the anaconda keeping her devious smirk. She dodged a tail-smash from the snake before tossing two N.I.N.S.T.A.R.s, but the snake swiftly dodged them both before gnashing at Nebula, who jumped back. After recovering, Mocha ran at Mariegold in attempt to throw some punches, but the snake’s skin was much too thick. “Hmph, I don’t even NEED Armament.” she declared before punching Mocha back.

Nebula and Mocha stood side-by-side as they tried to catch their breath. “These snakes… are a little stronger than I thought.” Nebula panted.

“I don’t suppose… this planet has any growth potions.” Mocha panted.

“Hm, they seem to be getting a little tired, Sis.” Sandersonia smiled.

“Good. Meat better with salt.” The operatives glared as the snakes hissed, ready to gnash their fangs once more. Their heads came down, and the operatives readied to dodge, but- (End song.)

“Huh?” The sisters stopped when the stadium suddenly quaked. Everyone in the audience looked around for the source of the disturbance. A pair of gigantic hands gripped the roof of the east stadium, before a gigantic caveman, with a head covered in brown hair, raggedy white shirt, and muscular arms, revealed himself. _“ROOOOAAAR!”_

“AAAAAHH!” The audience Amazons screamed with terror.

“It’s a… caveman?!” Nebula exclaimed.

“But… no man should be able to live here undetected.” Hancock said. “Let alone a giant one. Could he…”

“MWAH HAHAHAHA hahahahaha!” A small flagship floated down from above, where Mom and her sons stood on its platform. “Sorry to drop in unannounced, but something just came up! TEAR IT OFF, you big bastard!”

“Rrrrrrr…” The giant grabbed the edges of the ring in both hands, causing the operatives and Gorgon Sisters to wobble off as he lifted it off its perch. He sent the platform hurling away before all eyes were directed at where it sat. Nebula and the Boa sisters gasped at the dark-pink crystal that sat in the center of the ruin.

“There it is!” The crystal brimmed in Mom’s eyes. “The Dimensional Fragment! He was right!”

“Did Tachyon find out about it?…” Nebula wondered. The giant caveman carefully reached down and gripped the crystal in his thumb and index fingers.

“Mwah ha ha ha! Finally, the first piece of the Dimensionator is ours! Maybe NOW Tachyon will quit whining…”

“What do you think you’re doing?!” Hancock yelled.

“Hancock, meet Geoffrey Giant! An ordinary Giant from Planet Avalar, who I ‘commissioned’ to test some experiments for me in exchange for a few thousand gems. I gave him the Human-Human Fruit, Model: Neanderthal. The strength of a caveman, mixed with his own Giant strength makes him stronger than ANY Amazon! But certainly not as smart. With his power, I can easily find ALL of the Dimension Fragments!”

 _Is she a customer of Caesar, too?_ Nebula wondered.

“That stone is a sacred relic!” Hancock declared. “You won’t be flying away with it so easily!” She shot a deathly glare at the villains, and Mom’s 3 sons were instantly knocked out. The Giant, however, scratched his head in confusion.

“Mwah hah hah! As a caveman, Geoffrey lacks the proper intelligence to be affected by your Conqueror’s Haki!” Mom laughed. “Besides… it’s not your place to interfere, Empress. Lest I decide to, EXPOSE the Curse Mark under each of your backs!” Hancock, Mariegold, and Sandersonia flinched.

Vweeb snapped out of his love-struck trance when he heard this. “Curse Mark?”

“The Curse Mark of Medusa?!” an Amazon yelled.

“Run for it, girls!” a cavewoman yelled. The stadium was soon clear of Amazon Warriors, with the exception of the Boa sisters.

“Huh! Cowardly little squirts.” Mom huffed. “Using that silly little story, you keep them away at all costs and stop them from seeing the truth. But don’t worry, Dearie. I have no intention of showing them for you. As long as YOU back off and don’t interfere.”

“…” Hancock only slouched in her throne and cupped a hand over her eyes. Her snaky sisters lowered their guard and reverted to normal forms.

“Hold on a second!” Nebula spoke up. “I don’t know what you have over her… but I’m NOT letting you take that fragment!”

“Hm? Hey, you’re the little brat TACHYON wants me to hunt down. Well, this is perfect! I’ll wipe you out AND deliver the Dimensional Piece! Tachyon’s not in a hurry, he can wait for it. GEOFFREY! SMASH those snot-bodies!”

“Roooo! Rrrrooo?” He stared confusedly at the fragment still in his fingers. Having nowhere else to put it, he shoved it up his nose. “OOOOOAAAARRRR!”

“Ahhh, you guys hear that, he just wants to go kayaking!” Dillon joked.

“Well… whaddo we do, Nebula?” Mocha asked.

“Just kick his butt, I guess. It’s the only option.”

“ARRROOOOOO!” (Play Gohma’s Battle Theme (First Half) from _Zelda: Wind Waker_.) ( “THANK you.” Vweeb shouted.)

 

_Boss fight: Geoffrey Giant_

The giant caveman threw his fists down to crush them, but Nebula and Mocha dodged as Nebula threw grenades at his fists, making him wince slightly as he blew the smoke from his knuckles. He then grabbed chunks of ground in his hands to throw them on the kids, but Mocha was strong enough to punch the stones and shatter them. She grabbed one of the boulders and spun around before hurling it back at his face. He shut his eyes and wobbled forward slightly, crushing part of that side of the stadium.

He recovered and punched around the inside some more, forcing the two to jump around to avoid. He grabbed more boulders and hurled them faster, and Mocha was unable to grab and throw them without others blocking them off. The giant girl ran out of breath and ended up pelted by several boulders in the face. The Giant focused his attention on Nebula, who dodged the next boulder before tossing a N.I.N.S.T.A.R. up to his face, scratching around the eyes. He became distracted long enough for Mocha to recover and throw a discarded boulder to his face, totally corking his mouth.

The two laughed at this before Mocha grabbed another boulder and hurled it up, forcing the other one into his mouth. The Giant choked a little before falling forward, crushing the east wall of the stadium as he lay on the ground, coughing the boulder out. In his dizzied state, the two hurried over as Mocha reached up his nostril in attempt to pull out the Dimensional Fragment. “Yuuuck! His snot’s made of glue or something!”

“MWAH HA ha ha! Never underestimate a Giant’s nostril! Most of Galaxia’s GLUE comes from their noses!” Mom cackled.

“That… is a _very_ gross fact.” Nebula said.

“GROOOOAAAR!” The giant pushed Mocha away and got back on his feet. They finally had a full-body view of him, seeing he was wearing a dark-yellow khaki loincloth. He stomped into the arena and shook the ground with each step. Nebula tossed grenades at his feet, but this didn’t do much before he jumped high in the air and forced a bunch of boulders out upon landing. He started to kick the boulders around as Nebula dodged, while Mocha tried to push them back and stub his toes. As Nebula searched around for a weakness, she noticed one of the boulders was glowing yellow. She tossed a grenade and destroyed it, revealing a Drill Wisp inside. The Wisp shot into her body and granted her its power.

“DRILL!” She burrowed beneath the ground and drilled directly up against the bottom of his right foot. He gripped his foot and hopped on the other, allowing Mocha to toss a boulder at his toes and topple him down. Nebula ran to shove a grenade up his other nostril, exploding inside as he inhaled the smoke. “AACHOO!” The fragment came out, but it dangled from the snot, so he sucked it back in.

“Ugh. This is taking too long.” Mom said in annoyance. “I’m late for an appointment with my chiropractor. He still owes me $200 for that Arm-Flexor. SCREW IT ALL you bastard and COME back to the ship!”

“Rooooo… roo-rooo.” The Giant shrugged and began the walk to his Big Ship. (Play “Gohma Second Half” from _Wind Waker_.)

“Quick, go after him!” Nebula yelled as they gave chase.

“Right!”

The two charged after the Giant as he grabbed and chucked boulders back at them, which Mocha grabbed and chucked at the back of his shins, making him slow down slightly. A squad of Killbots were charging from ahead, forcing Nebula to slow down to dodge and toss grenades at them. One of the Killbots released an Orange Rocket Wisp, which flew inside Nebula and turned her to a rocket. “ROCKET!” She shot high into the heavens, and when she reverted to normal, she began to skydive and list toward the Giant, aiming to land on his head.

She grabbed hold of his bundle of hair as he furiously tried to shake her off. She ended up dangling in front of his face as she shoved another grenade up his nose. She finally dropped as the bomb exploded, and the fragment dropped out of his nose, with the smoke having dissolved the snot. However, the fragment landed in his open palm as he still carried it along.

Mocha helped Nebula up as they looked to the Giant, just seconds away from reaching his ship. “It’s gonna get away!” Mocha yelled.

“Rrrrr…” Geoffrey suddenly stopped, feeling oddly dizzy. “Eeerrrrrr…” He couldn’t move another step.

“WHAT’S WRONG with you, you bastard?!” Mom yelled.

Back at the colosseum, Hancock just noticed someone was absent from her shoulder. “Where’s Vweeb?”

At this time, the Kateenian was inside the Giant’s head, blasting his Stun ray at his already-weak brain. “I snuck in Nebula’s pocket during the battle and got in THIS guy after she landed on him!” he exclaimed to no one in particular. “Now it’s all up to them!”

“Well, whatever’s wrong, now’s our chance.” Nebula said. “Mocha, try and push him down!”

“Right!” Mocha charged for the Giant’s left leg and shoved it forcefully, throwing a series of rapid punches while Nebula tossed a shuriken at his right shin.

“Errrrrr…” Geoffrey finally fell on his back, his hand lying flat on the ground as the fragment fell out.

“NOOO! Get ‘em, you worthless drones!” Mom ordered as another squad of Killbots came out. Mocha already charged over to start thrashing some while Nebula noticed the particular glowing-orange one. She smirked and tossed a grenade, retrieving the Rocket Wisp. “ROCKET!” Nebula shot straight for the heavens and came down even faster, finishing the caveman with a powerful impact on his stomach.

“EEEEERRRRRR!” He fell unconscious as his body shrunk back to normal (though he was still giant). Vweeb jumped out of his ear, shaking his head from the dizzy. “A little warning next time!” (End song.)

With her victory assured, Nebula walked over casually and picked up the Dimensional Fragment, tossing in up and down in her hand with a smirk. “CURSES!!” Mom pounded her control deck. “That damn clown told me the Caveman Fruit was a GUARANTEED success! You win this round, you rotten kids. But as soon as I’m done spanking the holy crap out of a certain clown, YOU’RE GETTING a worse punishment than Miss Trunchbull could dish out!”

“Ohhhh…” Walt, Igner, and Larry finally woke up. “What happened, Mommy…” Larry asked.

“QUIT SLEEPING AND GET READY FOR TAKEOFF!”

“O-O-Ooow!” She slapped the three of them again before they left for space.

**Back at the colosseum**

Sector W7 had fallen into deep sleep, and Chimney was first to awaken. “Oowaaah… what time is it?”

“HOW DID YOU FALL ASLEEP WHEN ALL THAT WAS HAPPENING??!” Nebula and Mocha screamed.

“It’ll sure take a while to fix everything, though.” Sandersonia observed. “Are you alright, Sister?”

“Hmm… as long as Mom showed her sorry self out, I’m happy.” Hancock stated spitefully as she walked down to the operatives.

Sector V went down to join Neb and Vweeb as Hancock approached them. The empress still looked spiteful as she spoke. “…I suppose I should thank you… for getting rid of that thing.”

“Well, there’s one way you could do that…” Nebula hinted.

Hancock furrowed her eyes. “Hmph… cut off their cuffs.” Sandersonia became a snake and gnashed forward, biting off the Sector V boys’ chi-blocking cuffs.

Chris rubbed his wrists and alit flames in his hands. “Hoo-hoo, sweet!”

Hancock then reached under her robe and pulled out Artie’s petrified form, setting him on the ground before unfreezing him. “Who-o-oa!” Artie shook back to his senses. “Did I just get snu-snu??”

“Now get off this planet before I have ALL you boys stoned.” Hancock demanded.

“You don’t have to tell US twice.” Mason remarked as they were already walking away.

“I’ll miss you, My Lady!” Artie yelled lovingly.

“You.” Nebula snapped to attention when Hancock spoke to her. “…Just… who are you, anyway?”

“I’m Nebula D. Winkiebottom.”

“Are you… human?”

“Half-Zathurian.”

“…” Another word that caught Hancock’s interest. “…Follow me.” She and her sisters walked off as Nebula and Vweeb followed.

**Hancock’s Temple; basement**

The empress led the operatives to an underground part of the palace. A mural was painted on the wall, of black-and-white beings standing under a black hole, and in the black hole’s center was the Dimensional Fragment. “This is a prophecy that’s gone back longer than we can remember. Our ancestors were entrusted a holy fragment that fell from the stars. They were told to watch it until someone of its race of origin would return to claim it. It’s said they would need it to stop a war that took place eons ago.”

“The war between Zathurians and Cragmites.” Nebula figured.

“There’s a Kids Next Door on this planet, too, of young Amazon Warriors. As a man, Tachyon has no say in the customs of this planet… but using Mom, he’s been able to keep the Amazons under control.”

That immediately raised the question in Nebula’s mind. “Is that because Mom HAS something over you?”

“…” She didn’t speak.

“I don’t understand. If you’re a powerful warrior of Amazonia… why does someone like _Mom_ intimidate you?”

“…” Hancock shut her eyes. “I can’t tell you. If the truth got out… I would lose my position as Empress.”

“Does this have anything to do with the Curse Marks on your backs?”

“…” Hancock faced Nebula with tears in her rageful eyes. “That’s none of your business! I gave you the Dimensional Fragment, now leave!”

“Well… okay.” There was clearly a deep grudge between Hancock and Mom. Nebula wanted to know more about it… but she didn’t have the time. She hurried out of the temple to return to her ship.

“Siiiigh.” Hancock leaned her head against the wall. _“It doesn’t matter either way… the mark is still on my back. I can never be free of my past… and if the others knew… it could ruin our future.”_

“I know what the mark is.”

Hancock gasped and spotted the tiny, white speck that was Vweeb on her shoulder. “My head was a little foggy from your beauty… but I thought I recognized it somewhere. It’s what they use to mark slaves.”

“Gnnn!!” She gritted her teeth in anger, seeing the smirk on his tiny face.

“Ahh, relax. I won’t tell anyone.”

“Huh?” The three sisters looked with surprise.

“A person’s past is their own business… and if you don’t want people to know… well, you don’t have to tell ’em ’til you’re ready.”

This was hard to believe… coming from a boy’s mouth.

Vweeb jumped up onto her giant nose as she focused her eyes together. “But it could be because you’re extremely cute and I don’t wanna see girls cryin’. It’s what happens when you’re a mama’s boy. But you don’t have to worry ‘bout a thing. My tiny lips are sealed.”

“…” Hancock could feel the honesty in his little voice. To think she was hearing this from a male… a very microscopic one, at that. ‘Course, he was so small, she could’ve been hearing him wrong.

“Anyway, I gotta go.” Vweeb said as he leaped off, landing lightly on the ground (even though it was miles high from his view on an Amazon’s head). “We kinda got a mission to do. Maybe we’ll come visit later! When you’re not bathing… that is.”

“Wait.” Vweeb stopped and looked up. Hancock asked, “If you’re not a slave… why do you follow Nebula?”

“Duh, ’cause she’s my friend. You don’t follow someone ’cause you’re a slave, you follow them ’cause you respect them. You guys can have male friends too, if you let them. And if Nebula didn’t have me, she wouldn’t get too far. She knows that…” He winked.

“…Can I… ask you to do something?”

“Um, sure. I guess so…”

“…Destroy Mom. Tear her company down.”

Vweeb could see the rage in her eyes better than anyone. He didn’t know the whole story behind this… but because of that mark, he had an idea why she wanted Mom destroyed. The Kateenian smirked and raised his left pinky. “Count on it.” Even from her incredible height, she could see him raise his pinky (also because of her Observation Haki). She got to her knees and lowered her right pinky, so that his could touch her nail. Of course, she never felt him do so… but the promise was sealed nonetheless.

With that, the little Kateenian turned and quickly hurried after Nebula. As odd as it sounded… Hancock would miss him.

 

**Hoooo… and so, we end it there. Bet you all missed the Wisps, huh? So next time, we will begin the search for the second fragment. In fact, we’re actually gonna get a new partner, who, happens to be one of my favorite characters ever and will hopefully add light to this whole adventure! Hancock and the Amazons come from _One Piece_ (also partly _Futurama_ ). So, later.**


	10. The Abandoned Orphanage

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nebula and Vweeb go to investigate the Prog twins' old orphanage.

**Hello guys, this didn’t take TOO long, but I rushed the second stage. :| Today, we’re gonna meet some new villains and learn some info on Vendra.**

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**_

Chapter 9: The Abandoned Orphanage

_**

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**Outside Amazonia’s atmosphere**

Nebula and Vweeb took off on their Shooting Star, followed by a Drophyd Transport Ship, which had been commandeered by Sector V, since the Drophyds who brought them there were dead. “You know, I’m gonna miss Amazonia.” Aurora said.

“Me too.” Haruka agreed. “I wanted to ask Hancock how she makes her skin so smooth.”

“Ugh. Oi’m jus’ glad we got off there ‘fore you blokes melted your eyes.” Sheila remarked.

“Too bad Sector W7 couldn’t come.” Dillon said. “Chimney just didn’t wanna abandon her R.O.C.K.E.T.-T.R.A.I.N. again.”

“Good thing they’re girls, so hanging around there won’t be a hassle.” Haylee noted. “Except for Gonbe, but, animals should be an exception, right?”

**Amazonia**

“Gonbe, Deeeeaaar!” an Amazon sang. “Another margarita, please!”

“Rabbit. Where my arrows?” a cavewoman asked.

“OI, GONBE!! I WANNA ‘NOTHER BOWL!!” Chimney demanded.

All these commands were running the little rabbit ragged. “Gyom-gyoooom…”

**With the others**

Nebula grabbed her communicator and spoke, “This is Nebula to Pollyx. We got the first Dimensional Fragment.”

_“Oh, that’s WONDERFUL! I heard that Tachyon sent Mom to Amazonia, so I was starting to worry.”_

“But how did Tachyon know about the fragment, anyway? You think he retrieved the artifact from the pirates and had Mom decipher it? …Uh, MY mom, I mean?”

“With an alias like that, there’s BOUND to be confusion.” Vweeb commented.

_“Who knows… but SPEAKING of those pirates: some of their crewmen have been skimming the Space Junk Region for some treasures, more or less. I wonder if they’re hoping to acquire another artifact. Whatever the case, it’s worth looking in to. But it’s fair to warn you, that region is nearly impassable without the right equipment. There’s so much junk floating around, it’s hard to navigate, and several ships end up crashing asteroids. ‘Course if you had more of your powers, I suppose it’s possible…”_

“Well, where would I begin looking for those?”

“Hold on!” Vweeb spoke. “Where did you say that Vendra lady lived before this?”

_“The Meero Orphanage, on Forest Moon Endor, just around the edge of Galaxia’s Outer Limits.”_

“Just a thought, but, if we searched around Vendra’s old orphanage, we might find a secret behind her powers! And there’s bound to be a Nether Rift there, at that rate.”

“Hmmm… well, it is a matter worth investigating.” Nebula said thoughtfully. “Maybe we can find a reason she teamed up with Tachyon in the first place. We’ll head to Space Junk after we do, and keep you posted.” She hung up.

 _“Sooo we’re heading to Endor?”_ Aurora asked via intercom.

 _I hope we get to see the CUTE little hamster people!_ Kirie joyfully signed (‘course, you wouldn’t see that through the speaker).

“Well, the more the merrier, I guess. Though I wouldn’t want our group to be so overcrowded. I’d like to see if-” Her wristwatch communicator rang, and she answered to find Jerome.

_“Nebula, I flew by Galaxia Elementary just now. Now that our mom’s in jail, it’s under new management. New principal, teachers, everything. And they’ve turned it into some kind of work camp.”_

“What? Who’s running it?”

_“I’m not sure. Some muscular lady… I think it’s a lady. And apparently, school lets out at 8:30pm. Several of our operatives are being held here, like Tronta, Arianna, and Makava.”_

“What?!” Vweeb exclaimed. “We have to go over there!!”

“There’s no time.” Nebula stated. “Sector V, can we trust you to head over and rescue as many operatives as you can? I’ll send you coordinates for the school.”

 _“I couldn’t rescue them myself because they had chi-blocking symbols stationed for Space or psychicbenders. It might be kind of dangerous.”_ Jerome noted.

“We’ll have to take our chances.” Aurora decided. “We’ll head over there and do what we can. Don’t worry, Vweeb, we’ll save your friends.”

“Aw, man! Oi wanted to go on cool space adventures with Nebula!” Sheila complained.

“Our duties come first, Sheila. Good luck, you two, we’ll meet back up as soon as we can.” With that, the Drophyd ship changed course and flew elsewhere.

“I hope they can rescue them…” Vweeb spoke worriedly.

“Don’t worry, your friends’ll be fine. Let’s just head to this orphanage and get back on track ‘soon as possible.”

**Planet Legola; Octan Tower**

On the planet of Legos, a tower of impossible height stretched all the way to the stormy heavens. At the infinity-ith floor of this tower, a Lego man with a grey tuxedo and huge, mechanical legs stomped into a room where his employees were typing on computers. “Ahh, the smell of business in the morning!” he declared with an evil smirk. “Mr. Johnson, how are this month’s sales coming along?”

“Uh, just fine, Sir. Our reports show mostly purchases from adults, wh-who were buying them for their kids’ birthdays. Heh. Heh. Maybe we can model a set after that, huh?”

The towering businessman became infuriated. “CURSES!!” He stomped Johnson’s desk before pacing angrily. “My precious Legos being used for simple TOYS! I worked hard creating this neat and orderly utopia, so that OTHER grown men across the universe will be able to experience the sweet sensation of business that _I_ know! My Legos were supposed to take blueprints to a whole new level, 3-D models that tell more than simple 2-D illustrations ever would! Why in the WORLD would they mistake them as little playthings for KIDS?!”

_

President and Ruler of Planet Legola, honorary member of the Corporate Presidents  
LORD BUSINESS

_

“With all due respect, Sir, a lot of our citizens are modeled after childhood heroes, like Batman, Milhouse, Han Solo…”

“That’s EXACTLY why I had those people locked up! In a world of business, you have no time for children’s imagination! Ugh, but seeing a bunch of scattered blocks inside a box apparently gives wrong IDEAS! But _not_ anymore…” He grinned and rubbed his hands evilly. “Once my Kragle is fully developed, I’ll never have to worry about kids mucking up my creations again, a-” The alarm started blaring.

“Sir, a helicopter seems to be flying onto our landing pad.” Business’s henchman, Bad Cop reported. “It appears to be Doflamingo.”

“Ahh, my colleague!” Business smirked. “Allow them to land!”

Sector DR landed on the platform outside the building as the group stepped off Bison’s mouth, the copter-boy returning to normal. As they entered the building, Bison took out a toothbrush and toothpaste, rapidly brushing his teeth. “Eeeeyuck. You guys need to wash your shoes.”

“I stepped in poo earlier on purpose because I knew we’d be riding in you.” Sugar remarked.

“Aaaahh, welcome!” They looked up as Lord Business towered over them. “Say… you aren’t Doflamingo! You’re his whiny kids!” Business’s mechanical legs shrunk down as he stepped out. The short man was really as tall as the DR crew.

“I may not be him… but I’m on official business!” Doffy Jr. grinned. “One of my dad’s employees has been kidnapped and we’ve been sent to rescue him. You being his colleague, we hoped you would lend us some supplies.”

“Heh heh heh. Well, I couldn’t turn down a favor from my fellow businessman’s son. But if I’m to just hand you things willy-nilly, I’ll need compensation. This new Emperor person is trying to put an embargo on exports from this planet, ‘cause he doesn’t want kids buying them and making spaceships or something! To lift it, he demands something _important_ of mine. I want you to go and do something about ‘im. I’m currently working on a new project that’ll make my Legos perfect. And for the products to go out, I’ll need that embargo lifted. And I also need that _important_ thing. Go on and do that, and I’ll give you as much access to my equipment as you need.” With that, he walked off.

“Hmph… _like I give a crud.”_ Doffy smirked.

“Are we going to change him to a toy?” Sweetie asked.

“No. Sugar’s powers won’t work on Legoans. They’re already toys. But Business shouldn’t be that hard to screw over. After all, that’s the whole point of _business_. We’ll mooch off this guy’s supplies for now… but we’ll have him dealt with in time.”

**Shooting Star**

Nebula and Vweeb were still on their way to Endor, flying through an empty area of space as Vweeb’s tiny stomach rumbled. “Hey Nebula, do we have any snacks? I’m hungry.” Vweeb said, rubbing his belly.

“I’m surprised someone your size GETS hungry.”

“Hey, smaller stomachs means we don’t eat much.” He smirked. “And I haven’t eaten anything since we left. Think we’ll find a Space Wendy’s around here?”

“No, countryside’s pretty vacant. Hm, there’s a planet down there. Let’s see what they got.”

They flew down to a nearby yellowish planet, whose surface appeared to be totally barren. There wasn’t signs of life for miles, and many mountains covered the land in the distance. The two took land in the middle of a flat, empty field, looking around for any sustenance. “…Any chance the restaurants are invisible?” Vweeb asked.

“Probably not… but what is _that_?” Nebula pointed to a nearby spot that was trapped in a Time Distortion Beam. Inside, a swarm of micro-droids appeared to be eating the gunk out of a small pond, but the time rift was making it Rewind and move forward, over and over again.

“Well, this raises a lot of questions.” she remarked.

“Like ‘What’re they doing’ or ‘Why are they here’? Stuff like that?” Vweeb asked.

“Yeah… Wish we knew how to make these things stop…”

**Great Clock**

“Hmmm…” Jagar looked with curiosity as he led his kids to a Planet Room. “Wow, this place looks nice all of a sudden… did you work overtime, Sigmund?”

“Well, you might say I… _acquired_ a few extra tools.” He spared a wink to MaKayla.

The girl chuckled quietly before turning to a planet’s hologram. Her attention was drawn to the blue beams. “Um, Dad… is that planet okay?”

Jagar looked at the planet. “Oh, some disruptions. Good eyes, Kayla! We better fix those.”

“I’ll do it!” she insisted as she took the staff from her father’s hands. Jagar looked curiously as she aimed the staff and proceeded to fix the disruptions herself.

“Wow… how’d you learn to do this?”

“She must take after her father after all!” Sigmund beamed.

**The barren planet**

“Huh? What’s happening?” Vweeb asked when the Time Beam started to whir and blink. Before their eyes, the strange beam faded away, and the tiny droids were able to finish cleaning the water.

“Whatever the reason, that pond looks like it’s getting clean. What good that’ll do…”

But the moment the last filthy particle was consumed, the mysterious bots suddenly focused their attention on the operatives. “Uhhhh you think they think I’m a dust bunny?” Vweeb asked.

The swarm of nanobots immediately charged at them. “Who cares, let’s go!” With that, the kids were fast inside the Shooting Star, taking off for the heavens before the droids could feast on them.

“Hoo…” Nebula sighed once they were back in the stars. “’Kay, let’s never go THERE again.”

“Deal. When I’m hungry, _I_ wanna be the one eating.”

“Let’s just head to Endor and investigate this orphanage. We’ll be there in one more cut.”

**Forest Moon Endor**

And once the camera cut to their destination, they were there. “Ahhh, Forest Moon Endor. Lot-a history happened here.” Vweeb began. “This was the site of Emperor Palpatine’s defeat, and Darth Genious’s birth. …Not his LITERAL birth, his uh… spiritual birth into… you know, evil. But to THINK such a mighty empire was defeated by Ewoks. Guess ol’ Vader had a sixth sense ‘bout these things, AH??” He nudged Nebula’s neck. “Okay, let’s land!”

They passed the atmosphere and started flying over the forest-covered surface. “Good thing Pollyx was able to give us the coordinates. We’ll park a few miles away so we don’t disturb the wildlife.”

“Right!” Vweeb perked. “’Cause it’s never fun when we park too close!”

They found an open spot and took land, staring up at the dark, towering trees as they climbed out. The sky was cloudy, so the weather felt less than cheerful. “Hm… definitely the place for a low-budget orphanage.”

“Well, this ain’t Foster’s. But hey, at least the Ewoks are friendly, right?”

“Yeah…” (Play the Wind Temple Theme from _Zelda: Wind Waker_.)

 

_Stage 8: Ewok Village_

_Mission: Find the Meero Orphanage and try and find a clue to Vendra’s plans._

Nebula and Vweeb followed a small road through the trees, already seeing treehouses ahead, which belonged to the Ewoks. The treehouses were built on two trees on parallel sides of a tiny gorge. A ladder on the right of the gorge led up onto the first house’s walkway, where an Ewok mother was feeding a milk bottle to children. They crossed a thin, rickety bridge and passed an Ewok guard with a spear.

_

A bridge guard, adds more unnecessary pages to the Star Wars Wiki  
UNIDENTIFIED EWOK 2

_

As the Ewok spared them a look when they passed, Vweeb looked worried. “Umm… they ARE friendly, right?”

“Yeah. As long as we don’t attack them. We still get Experience, but, they aren’t hurting anyone.”

The bridge led to the parallel house, but there wasn’t any way onto the floor above. Inside this empty house, a tiny path led along the wall, from the door up to a hole in the ceiling. Vweeb walked up this path, having to shoot beetles that came out of holes. He made it up into the hole, finding a rolled-up rope ladder. Vweeb pushed the ladder into the hole, unraveling it as Nebula climbed up. On this house’s walkway, there was another road through the woods. Ahead was an open area where the road turned right, but a squad of ape men in orange jumpsuits jumped out of the woods and began blasting.

Nebula dodged and tossed a N.I.N.S.T.A.R. at them while Vweeb snuck over to shoot his Stun ray. Nebula was able to finish them with a few shots from the S.H.O.O.T.E.R.. “What’re they, overzealous huntsmen?” Vweeb asked.

“Those’re bounty hunters from Sargasso. I wonder why they’re here.”

They followed the rightward path to a small misty chasm with platforms over it, and rickety bridges connecting them. As they crossed, a squad of Ewok scampered past them, running from a Ruffian Battle Mech. Nebula jumped its shots and tossed grenades at its cockpit, but was blown backward by one of its bombs. Vweeb was able to sneak onto its cockpit and Stun the pilot, so when Nebula came back, she was able to throw the last few grenades and defeat it.

They crossed the rest of the chasm, and reached a small village of treehouses over another misty chasm. They swung a G.R.A.P.P.L.U.H. target to reach a walkway around a house, then crossed a bridge to another house, bypassing a bridge guard. There was no other path to follow from there, but a wide, fenced platform hovered over the chasm, too far to jump. Below the left of this house’s walkway was a Space Light, where Nebula conjured a Space Block. When they jumped down, a set of Space Lights formed a path just above the chasm, letting them form Space Blocks to make it across. It was a little hard to see with all the mist, but the lights were still visible, eventually leading them to a vine wall.

Nebula climbed with Vweeb still on her shoulder, having trouble navigating with all the mist. The vines alternated left, right, up, down directions, and Snapdragons popped out of unseen holes in the wall. They avoided the dragons and made their way onto a ledge above the mist. They had a clear view of the wide platform from earlier and were able to walk on. There were several barrels around the platform, blowing open when Ruffians jumped out.

They began firing immediately, so Nebula side-dodged and tossed the first N.I.N.S.T.A.R.. The Ruffians whipped out light-nun-chucks and ran over to swing them at Nebula, who back-flipped before countering with the S.H.O.O.T.E.R.. Two more Ruffians were trying to whip Vweeb with nun-chucks, but the slippery alien dodged around and ran between one’s legs, causing the other to wrap his nun-chucks around and pull him down. Vweeb then jumped on and ran up his nun-chucks, shooting his Stun ray at his face.

After Nebula finished off her group, she hurried over to defeat the ones Vweeb disabled. Once they finished, they continued to a larger village area, where houses sat on five different layers and Ewoks roamed around. “Ahhhh, the Ewoks.” Vweeb said. “The culture who discovered the Stormtroopers’ armor was made of plastic. Easily penetrable by even their little arrows.”

“Yeah, isn’t it somethin’…” Nebula said blankly as she stared at the M.A.P.. “The way to the orphanage is just up there.” She pointed to a small path on a ledge above the left of the village. “Now to find a way up…”

A bee was buzzing around Nebula’s right shoulder where Vweeb stood, the Kateenian backing away frightfully as he yelled, “Shoo, shoo!” It wouldn’t go away. “Ugh!” Vweeb tried to shoot the bee, and by the time he succeeded, he accidentally blasted one of the Ewoks. _“Er-er-er-er! Er-er-er-er!”_ The enraged teddybears started to charge at the operatives, while Nebula passed a dirty look to Vweeb.

The two dodged when Ewoks on the higher levels launched arrows. Nebula tossed a N.I.N.S.T.A.R. and knocked down a group on higher levels, then ran when some chased her with spears. When they were all bunched together, Nebula tossed a grenade and blew them all away. “Didn’t wanna hafta do that, but frankly they’re kinda aggressive.” With that, they searched around the village for a way to get up to the ledge. One of the houses had that same pixel image of a gray robot’s head. There was an enclosing between another house and a pile of supplies, and a giant box sat inside. Nebula blew it up with a grenade, and a G.R.A.P.P.L.U.H. target flew out and hovered by the ledge. Nebula was able to latch it and pull them up.

They followed a straight, narrow path to a region high atop a cliffside. Sat atop a hill above them was a small, rundown building, unmistakably Meero Orphanage. They jumped up the stairway of ledges on their right to reach the orphanage’s front yard. But once they did, a squad of Ruffian Mechs ambushed and started launching bombs. Nebula chucked grenades at the middle one, but had to quickly dodge the others’ fire. Vweeb ran up and crawled into an opening on one of them, once again tinkering with its wiring and causing it to throw bombs at its allies.

Vweeb jumped out before the Ruffian Mech charged into its teammates and forced them against the wall, before they shoved him away onto his back. During their moment of weakness, Nebula tossed more grenades and defeated another one, and the last one spun its right grabber-hand and launched it on an electric chain. It wrapped around and shocked Nebula, but Vweeb jumped off and charged a Powuh Shot in his ray gun, blasting and blowing the mech back.

Once freed, Nebula threw a few more grenades and wiped the mech out. With that done, they entered the orphanage’s rusty front door. There were broken tables everywhere and fallen file drawers. There was crayon writing on the wall saying _ENTER HERE AND DIE_ and other scary things, and also skeletons in some of the corners. Vweeb jumped over to examine the bones. “…They’re plastic. Phew.” He was relieved. “I was gonna say, who made THIS a graveyard?”

“The way it looks, it might as well be one.” Nebula said. Her communicator rang, and she answered Pollyx.

_“Ehhh, I’m just checking in. Did you find the orphanage?”_

“Yeah… we found it. It’s not in the best shape…”

_“That’s because it was ransacked 11 years ago. All of the children and staff went missing, except for Vendra and Neftin. Then a few years later, they started committing crimes, attacking villages, robbing banks… then they team up with Tachyon out of the blue.”_

“They were probably looking for the Dimensionator in their chaos…” Nebula deduced. “My guess is, they want it to return to the Netherverse. But considering Vendra’s power, I don’t see why she can’t do that herself. If she can bend Space Chi out of someone’s body…”

 _“Even_ her _powers must have limits. But there has to be a clue in there somewhere. Either way, I’m definitely picking up readings of a Space Rift in that area. You should be able to recover one of your powers there.”_

The two had to make a loop around the ruined building before finding a bedroom of multiple fallen bunk beds. There was an open door leading into a pitch-black basement, which they frightfully followed. “Why were bounty hunters from Sargasso here, anyway?” Nebula asked.

_“After their bounties were lifted, Neftin enlisted the help of Team Star Wolf. They probably sent Ruffians there to keep people from snooping around.”_

“Too bad they weren’t the best defense…” Nebula said once they reached a dust-filled bedroom at the bottom. “…I think this is Vendra’s room.” The pile of beheaded dolls in the corner was a giveaway.

The two walked around the bed before a huge, pink gap revealed itself in the wall. “And now we found the Space Rift.”

_“Great, now go in. Just like last time, complete the trial and you’ll get a power back.”_

“In a minute, Vweeb.” Neb said as she placed her friend on the dirty bed. With that, he watched as she vanished inside.

The little Kateenian gulped as he viewed the expansive (to him), dust-filled room. “I better not get eaten by dust bunnies when you get out!” (Play “Clank in the Netherverse” from _Into the Nexus_.)

**Netherverse**

Right as she landed in the bizarre world, she was forced down a slippery, purple slide inside a cave with an eerie pink glow. The slide turned rightward as she had to navigate around sharp crystals that stuck from the ground and jump gaps in the slide. The slide became more straight as it led her to an outside, endless realm, sliding over a bright-pink abyss. The slide was thinner, too, with more gaps she had to jump, so she had to be careful not to slide off the sides. The slide then turned leftward as it split in various forks, going around huge poles in the center before reuniting. They all led the same way regardless, going back into a cave that slid rightward before dropping Nebula into a long, thin hole.

She fell into a small room of pink crystals, where another glowing pink sphere sat before a cave. She reached out and touched it as the Spacebending Chi flowed inside her. She smiled as she felt herself levitate in the air for a brief moment, feeling almost no weight or mass on her body. When she was forced to land, she raised her fists in victory.

**Nebula learned _Gravity Body_! With this, she is able to become light as space for a short time! Also, wherever she sees a spot glowing blue on any surface, she is able to jump and stand on it, defying gravity completely!**

She looked up and saw a set of glowing blue spots on the walls up the shaft she fell down. Light on her feet, she gracefully jumped to each of those spots, standing on the wall parts like it was actual ground. But her moment of victory lasted shortly when she heard the venomous growl, eyes peering from the dark hole behind the sphere.

 _“GRAGRA GRAHGRAH GRAGRA GRAHGRAH!”_ (Play “Netherverse Chase” from _Into the Nexus_.) The Nether flew out, ready to feast some Zathurian. Nebula jumped up the hole quickly, and then had to jump Gravity Spaces on her way up the slide. She made it to the open area above the chasm, and the Grav Spaces were on the sides of floating pillars over the slide’s edge. She reached the point where the slide divides around giant poles, and longer Grav Spaces led around the poles. She jumped to them and hurried around to launch to other ones, but when she had to launch to the next floating pillar, she slipped and fell back on the slide.

She tried to regain composure on the slide, thankfully sliding under the Nether when she passed by. She was able to launch to a Grav Space, but had to make her way back up again. The Nether was coming for her, but she managed to jump over when it got close, quickly jumping the Grav Spots to get away again. She made it back to the first cave and jumped the last round of Grav Spots. She reached the last one, but the exit was too far to jump. However, she jumped off and simply glided to the exit instead, and easily escaped the Nether’s hunger. (End song.)

**Back in the orphanage**

Nebula emerged from the rift as the Nether stuck its head out. His body swelled from the outside atmosphere before blowing down the wall where the rift once sat. As the dusty smoke cleared, Nebula instantly felt Vweeb glomp onto her neck. “Finally, you’re back! I swear I saw a dust bunny glare at me!”

“Sigh, Vweeb, there’s no such thing as real dust bunnies. You should know better than to listen to _Comfy Couch_. …” They looked into the new room revealed by the broken wall. They stepped inside and found a small, mechanical book under the rubble. Nebula wiped the dust as she picked it up.

“Hey, it’s one of those old record-your-voice diaries! Those went outta business when brothers started easily eavesdropping their sisters. They never worked out…”

The cover read that the diary belonged to Vendra. Curious, Nebula opened it, and Vendra’s recorded, younger voice was heard. _“Dear diary… another lousy day at Meero Orphanage. Me and Nef were bullied… again. Why? ‘Cause we were apparently from a different species. Even though EVERYONE here was a different species, the Galaxians ‘parently never saw anyone like us. I don’t know what we are… all I know is the people here are nothin’ but creeps and bullies. And when I tell one of the teachers, what happens? I get sent to detention!_

_“But last night, I had the most wonderful dream! I wasn’t sure if it was a dream… but a weird, pink crack appeared in the wall. I stared into it… and someone spoke to me. He spoke with a voice, so charming and smooth… He said he knew what I was… and we had something in common. Apparently, me and Nef were from the race of Nethers, who thrived in a dimension within Space itself. But our parents were a Nether, and a kind of Mobian that lived in the Netherverse, so that’s why we were hybrids of the two. But they were disappointed in us for some reason, so they banished us to this waste of a universe. He said that he experienced similar pain. He was banished from his people… and now all of his kind was lost as well. He called himself… the King of Space. _

_“He wanted to find his people again… but wherever he was, he was trapped. Trapped in the confines of what was essentially my homeworld. So he needed my help… in order to escape. He would be able to see his family again… and in return, he would take me to see my family. I asked how I would be able to help… and something incredible happened. He lured me into this gap… I walked in slowly… and… what I believed to be his hand, reached out to me. It phased through my own body… and a great sensation overcame me. The power of black holes… no gravity… was_ mine _._

_“Today, we were bullied again… but things went a little bit different. Using my powers, I sent the lowlife orphans into a black hole of despair and… well, darkness. I robbed the place of life completely… and turned it to ruin. I knew we would become criminals… but that was okay. As long as one day, we could get our hands on the Dimensional Fragments. But the first thing I wanna do with my powers: kill the bastards who thought record-your-voice diaries were a good idea.”_

The recording ended there, and Neb and Vweeb exchanged frightful, curious looks.

**Shooting Star; back in space**

After leaving the planet, Nebula once again phoned Pollyx. _“Hmm… well, that did explain a bit. Since Meero Orphanage was destroyed 11 years ago, she was definitely 7 years old when she got her powers. I wonder who this King of Space is?”_

“Someone we’ll have to worry about, probably.” Neb said. “But now we know why she’s helping Tachyon look for the Dimensionator. And she probably teamed up with him in the first place for his political support. Judging by Boa Hancock, the fragments must be guarded by fairly strong or important people. And Tachyon must have the resources to take them from them.”

_“Such was to be expected. Not to mention, Tachyon and Vendra have the same thing in common, too: having lost their people.”_

“But if Tachyon’s people were banished by the Zathurians 2 million years ago, how is Tachyon here _now_? Unless he found a way out…”

 _“I don’t know. But it has become apparent he’s rather close to Mom. But I doubt we’ll be scoring info off_ her _very easily. With your new gravity powers, you should be able to get through the Space Junk Zone. Head there quickly and see what those pirates are up to.”_

“Roger that. We’ll get the fragment as soon as possible.” And so, the operatives’ flight through space continued.

 **Galaxia Elementary; under new management** (Play the Batalia Theme from _Ratchet & Clank_.)

Galaxia Elementary was seeing dark days in the short time the new principal took control. A group of kids were at recess, but the playground became a work camp where the children worked tirelessly. Well, that wouldn’t be the right word to use, but-

While five Kikwi children were pulling a huge crate, they immediately became tired when they reached their destination. A whip lash made them jump back up with a start. “’EY! NO ONE TOLD YOU TO SLAGOFF!” an alien sergeant with a horn-mouth yelled.

From a window on the third floor, the principal stood and watched their labor with a proud smile. Agatha Trunchbull was a muscular woman who wore a dark-green uniform, a big brown belt tied around her waist, long white socks, and black shoes. She had brown hair tied in a bun and blue eyes. “Ahhh, to see the YOUTH of today, working off their little limbs.” She spoke with gusto, her teeth yellow. “THIS is the way you WHIP young minds into shape, off their lazy butts and AWAY from their mind-rotting videogames! Hmm… Watching this labor makes me hungry. Time for some chocolate.”

She reached into a box on her desk and grabbed a piece of chocolate, munching piquantly. She then reached for and guzzled down a cup of coffee. However, she stopped when she spotted a Drophyd ship flying outside the dome in the distance. “Ahhh! Tachyon has delivered more fresh MEAT! Let’s see what the butcher has brought on to us!” She typed on a computer on her desk. “This is Trunchbull to Drophyd ship. What’s on the menu today?”

An image of an unmoving Drophyd came on, speaking with gaps between his words, and each syllable made him blink left-and-right. _“We. Got. TWELVE. Pass-en-gers. Hand. Cuffed—COMING! In! On. OWN.”_

“Hmph. WORK on your grammar and sentence structure, dimwitted slob! Hnn, let’s see if these kids are any special.” She stomped off to greet her new victims.

The Drophyd ship entered an opening on the dome before landing on an open spot. As Sector V fixed phony handcuffs on their wrists, they smiled at Mr. Game-and-Watch, who had a 2-D wire plugged into the ship’s computer, projecting an image of the frozen Drophyd. “Nice hacking, Mr. Game-and-Watch!” Aurora smiled.

“I keep forgetting he’s in our group, too.” Chris remarked.

“That’s ‘cause I keep him in my computer.” Vanellope noted, holding up her laptop. She hid it under her sweater and said, “Now let’s spring these kids from prison! Er, make that school. But there’s no difference!”

The kids stepped off the ship in a single-file line, wearing fake handcuffs. They stepped up to the muscular principal by the front door, who stood sternly. “Ahhh, what a lovely little flock of hens ready to be bred and cooked. WELCOME to Trunchbull Academy, the NEW and improved galactic school for aliens. I AM your headmaster, Agatha Trunchbull, you will DO as I say WHEN I say it—WAAAAIT!” The kids flinched when she lashed a whip, stomping over to Haruka and standing over her imposingly. “WHAT. Are. Those?...” She pointed at her pigtails.

Haruka glanced to both sides of her head. “You mean… my pigtails?”

“Are you a PIG, my dear?”

 _“She probably stinks like one, being a poisonbender.”_ Chris remarked through gritted teeth and a sly smirk.

Trunchbull LASHED the whip, making Chris whimper. “SILENCE or you’re staying an extra two hours! And if those aren’t removed by the end of the day,” she directed back to Haruka, “you’ll SHARE his FATE!”

“Well, my mom likes them!!”

“Your _mom_ is a TWIT! Now cut those off or-”

“But-”

“WHAT?!” Haruka flinched. _“But? Did you say ‘but’?”_

“Uhh-”

“I’ll show you BUT!!” The Trunchbull grabbed Haruka by her pigtails and spun around and around as the goth girl screamed.

“WHOOOOAA!” The child was sent flying across the playground as the many kids looked up with wonder. “AAAAHH!” She flew with enough force to crash through the dome, and everyone held tight to something as the air was sucked out.

“HARUKA!!” Mason screamed.

Two mechanical hands reached out and pulled her back into the dome before some wooden planks were placed over the hole. Haruka immediately gasped for breath, fixing her disheveled hair. “The next time you speak up I’ll have those hands DISABLED! Now all of you report to first-day detention or it’s off to the choky.”

The kids willingly marched off to a dark, dim classroom as Trunchbull instructed, before she slammed the door and locked it. The team took a seat on desks before pulling off their fake cuffs, rubbing their wrists.

“Well… we infiltrated the school. That’s good.” Chris spoke calmly with a tone of slight sarcasm. “Now… how’re we supposed to sneak a bunch of kids onto a ship and take off?”

“Well, first we need to disable the school’s cameras.” Aurora said. “That would make things a hundred times easier.”

Vanellope glanced up to the camera in the corner of the ceiling, aiming intently at them. “You just leave that to _me_.” She got up and walked under the camera, hooking a wire to her computer and an open slot on the camera. With that, she digitized inside and entered the camera terminals.

 

_Stage 9: Trunchbull Academy_

_Mission: Rescue as many GKND operatives as you can from the school._

Vanellope appeared in a narrow, straight virtual hall of many monitors, showing various parts of the school. She walked ahead to a wider hall, where floating cameras moved forward and backward, skimming the area for intruders. There was enough space for her to walk around the first one in the middle, but the next two floated parallel to each other, close to the hall’s sides. She was only able to hide behind a small, square wall in the middle. However, on the right wall was a single _“Zoni.”_ , who Vanellope quickly grabbed before hiding again. A Zone Light was across the hall, past the cameras’ turning point, so the Zoni flew over for Vanellope to glitch to it, evading the cameras.

She made a left turn, crossing a very thin, bridge-like path between more floating monitors. She viewed one of the classrooms that had a seemingly-nice-looking teacher speaking to students. _“Now class, today I’m going to teach you how to have a proper conversation. The first thing you must know is not to express yourself in any way, and always follow the rules, no matter how funny or original you think you’re trying to be. Just as well, no making witty remarks or interrupting someone to contradict them. I’ve found a group of ‘special’ kids whom you will be paired with, they aren’t the best with speaking, so it’s likely to lead to boring conversations, but you’ll…”_

“Oh, that is just the _worst_ type of person.” Vanellope remarked. She continued ahead, reaching a room with flat, horizontal terminals on the floor in a row. There were three more Zoni in the corner, so Vanellope walked over to enlist them. _“Zoni.”_ They revealed a hidden computer in the corner on the other end, where Vanellope cracked the password ‘Whiplash.’ This caused the laying terminals to float up and form a staircase. A camera appeared and started floating up and down the stairs, but Vanellope was able to Ground Pound and flip the platforms, holding onto their bottoms and avoiding the camera’s view. _“Flip the footholds to hide.”_ The Zoni instructed, just in case.

At the top of the stairs, she entered another thin hall of terminals, where she saw the Trunchbull yelling furiously at the Drophyd pilot (Mr. Game-and-Watch) through her desktop computer. _“For goodness SAKE, why didn’t you stop at a GAS station if you knew you were running low on fuel?!”_

_“Thought. I! Could. Make! It! Called- FOR! Backup. Soo-oon!”_

_“JUST make sure they get here before my new order of unearthed salad oil gets in, these kids need SOMETHING to grind on this lifeless asteroid!”_

Vanellope reached a room with a long chasm and some platforms over it, and Zone Lights leading to them. On her right were 3 more Zoni, making 7 in her group. _“Zoni.”_ They flew to their own Zone Lights over the first pit, but cameras were flying in-between some of them, so Vanel had to time it right so she wouldn’t be spotted. When they were high or low enough respectively, she glitched to the first platform. The next 3 Zone Lights didn’t lead onto anything, but the Zoni revealed a computer in the left wall. She entered the code ‘Choky,’ followed by ‘Ethical,’ making two platforms rise up to where the Zone Lights ended, spiraling around a spinning camera in the center. The camera spun counterclockwise as opposed to the camera’s clockwise, so she had to wait ‘til it was pointed away, and also time right so she’d land on a platform. Four more Zone Lights led to the next ledge, so before the camera could notice Vanel, she had the Zoni move to those spots and glitched over.

She reached a set of narrow, maze-like halls where more cameras patrolled. Vanellope simply had to hide and wait for them to turn back before quickly hurrying down the next path. Once she cleared the maze, she reached a room with many terminals on the wall, and a control panel before it. Once more, the Zoni revealed a computer in the control panel. Vanellope cracked the codes ‘Always watching,’ ‘Absolute order,’ and ‘Headmaster sees all.’ The terminals turned into static and the cameras were shut down.

**Trunchbull’s office**

As Trunchbull yelled at the “Drophyd,” her desktop computer suddenly shut off. “WHAT the-?!” She immediately stomped off to the camera room.

Sector V watched as the camera in the corner suddenly drooped, and Vanellope emerged from her computer. “Alright, I did it!” she perked.

“Great work, Vanel!” Aurora praised. “Alright, let’s split up and save the GKND ops. I’d like to rescue everyone, but I doubt the ship has enough room. Let’s go.”

The group split up and peeked into the many classrooms. Kirie found the speech teacher’s room, where she spotted Arianna. “Unfortunately, we could only find 3 ‘special’ aliens, but as soon as we acquire more students…” She looked as Kirie walked in, smiling happily as she signed, _Hi there, Teacher! You have a bad hairdo and those earrings are SO last year!_

“Ohh? Are you a mute child?”

She nodded.

“Ahhh.” She turned to her students. “You see, class, this little girl is a mute: she speaks using sign-language. I think this would be a perfect opportunity to learn how she talks.”

 _I’ll teach you how to say ‘Get slagged!’ in sign language!_ Kirie signed happily. _First, you raise your foot, aim it at the dumb teacher’s butt, and-_ She kicked the woman into a wall, before jumping over and laying several kicks across her head before she knocked out.

“YAAAAY!” the aliens cheered.

“Aww… I thought it was a very fine lecture.” Arianna frowned.

“It’s lame and you know it.” an alien remarked.

Kirie quickly signed, _Everybody who wants Get Out of School Early Day, follow me!_ She ran off, and while the others didn’t understand a word, they decided to follow.

Chris found a room labeled _Daycare Center_ , but found nobody as he walked in. “Mister?” a squeaky voice spoke. He looked down, spotting a group of tiny, Kateenian children with teary eyes. “Are you here to step on us?” a girl asked.

“Um… no, why would I do that?” Chris asked with a slight blush.

“You’re really big. Why are you here?”

“I’m, uh… here to rescue some GKND operatives. Ever heard of them?”

“Can you rescue us, too? Please?”

“Umm… w-well, we’re sort of limited on room, so…”

“Please? We promise we won’t be trouble…”

Chris just couldn’t resist those tiny, teary eyes. “Ahhhh… you guys shouldn’t take much room.” He decided with a charming smile. He bent down with his hands laid on the floor. “Climb on, you guys.” The group of tinies quickly hurried up his arms, to his shoulders and head. “Let’s get you outta here.” The Uno boy quickly hurried back to the ship. The Kateenian kids exchanged wicked smirks and snickers.

Sheila Frantic reached a gym room where Makava and other alien students were forced to climb poles that alit with flames going upward, forcing them to climb fast. “COME OOOON YOOOU HUNKHEADS- UP WITH IT, UP WITH IT!” yelled another alien coach with a horn mouth. “YOU CALL THAT CLIMBING YOU’RE GONNA GET YER BUTTS BURNED AND I’LL TELL YOUR PARENTS IT’S WHAT THEY GET FOR SIGNING AN ANTI-LAWSUIT FORM- _YOU_ WORTHLESS-”

Sheila dealt him a forceful punch that forced his horn mouth into his body. “We’ll see ‘ose butt they burn FIRST.” She flipped a lever on the wall, deactivating the flames and allowing the kids to drop.

“Hoo, thanks!” a cat-boy exclaimed. “They put grease on mine just to make it look like _Tom and Jerry_!”

“Oi, Makava, you c’n come DOWN now!” Sheila yelled to the still-climbing Glomourian.

“No way! I’m going for the record!” she exclaimed.

“Oh fer the love of-” Sheila punched a Light Sphere and knocked the swordsgirl down. “GRAB ‘ER!” The other kids grabbed Makava from all ends and carried her after Sheila.

The Gilligan Triplets reached a science class where a big-brained teacher was forcing kids to make different potions, and try them. One kid became a shoelace, another became a gas cloud with eyes, and one turned into George Lopez. Tronta was there, and he was a little hesitant to drink his red potion. “Come along, Mr. Dunfree.” Mr. Braino spoke with a high British accent. “Data won’t observe and collect itself. We must test every theorem no matter the risk of the students being tested.”

“I have a theorem!” Haylee spoke from behind him, holding her wrench. “It’s called ‘Seeing what happens when a big-brained teacher’s hit in the head with a wrench!’” She swung her tool and knocked the skinny, flimsy teacher clean out. “Brain over brawn, right? Yo Tronta, let’s get goin’! We got a ship!”

“Umm… can I… bring a couple o’ friends?” he asked.

“Well, we don’t really have room. How much?” Harry asked.

“Just a few.”

“HEEEEY, Trontaaaaa!” a squad of girls cheered from outside.

“Heheh… I also want these guys.” Tron chuckled, indicating the nerds behind them. They waved at the triplets goofily.

-_- The three stared disbelieved.

After leading 3 confirmed GKND ops to the ship outside, Aurora sat on the hatchway and awaited the others. “Huh?” She looked up, seeing several of her teammates coming out with many aliens. “Guys, are ALL these GKND ops?”

“Well, some… wanted to bring friends.” Chris noted as his Kateenian passengers grinned and waved.

“Siiigh. Well, we got what we could. Let’s wait for Dillon and get off this rock.”

**Terminal room**

“GRAAAH!” Miss Trunchbull furiously pounded and kicked the staticky terminals. In the wall by the door, Dillon spied on her from a shadow. “Damn lousy faulty alien equipment! If a school has enough in the budget to be built in SPACE, why can’t it afford some decent security cameras that don’t break after EVERY little-”

“Achoo!”

The Trunchbull jumped around, searching the room intently. Inside his shadow, Dillon shuddered with fear, which Trunchbull seemed to notice as she sniffed around his area. She stared closer and closer at the mysterious shadow in the wall… A pair of brown eyes opened, and Mario spit in her eyes before Dillon dashed down the hall. “GAAAAH!” He felt the halls quaking, dashing faster than ever as the mammoth woman chased.

**Outside**

While the aliens were led onto the transport ship, _“Gyaaaah!”_ They looked to the school’s entrance, seeing Dillon run out. “QUICK! START THE ENGINES! Start the engines, let’s GOOOO!”

He zipped past them into the ship, and as they looked confused, they flinched at Trunchbull’s presence in the doorway. The woman snorted like a bull, readying a stance as she scraped her feet along the ground, ready to charge like a wild animal (for example, a bull). “I SECOND THAT MOTION!” Aurora yelled as they ran on. The hatch closed before the Trunchbull charged, but as they lifted, they felt their selves weighed down by her amazing strength.

“Errr, let go you crazy witch!” Chris yelled, trying to drive the ship away.

The Trunchbull’s strength still prevailed, but- _“Zoni.”_ , the mysterious aliens appeared and dealt her a painful zap, the ship gone from the dome in a flash. The Trunchbull stood and turned around with anger, a burning desire to kill her assaulters in her eyes. When she found no one, she looked up to the escaping kids, her rage growing terrifically.

“Phew! That was close!” Mason sighed in relief.

“I hope we never see HER again.” Haruka said, still brushing her pigtails.

“What was her problem, anyway?” Dillon asked.

“I dunno… but I think I’ve heard of Trunchbull before.” Aurora began. “I heard a story about a really abusive elementary principal with unnatural strength. Rumor has it, she was scared away from her town by ghosts, and no one ever saw her again. Was she hiding in _Galaxia_ all this time?”

“She must’ve been scared good if she ran away from the _Earth_.” Chris noted. “Anyway… let’s call Nebula and see where…” He mindlessly felt around his pocket, but noticed something missing. “Hey! My wallet!”

“Teeheeheeheeheeheehee!” Outside in the hallway, the squad of Kateenian kids giggled mischievously, holding Chris’s wallet above them as they marched like little ants.

“HEY!! GIVE BACK MY WALLET!” They skittered faster as Chris chased them around the ship. “YOU LITTLE BUGS, I’M GONNA SQUASH YOU!!”

**Mysterious lab**

_“Nerf-nor… NEAF, nar…”_ Vendra stood before a Space Rift with a black half and white half while a being spoke in a gargled voice. Neftin walked in and watched them speak.

“I’m sorry. The first fragment was taken by the half-Zathurian.” Vendra explained, her head down. “But don’t worry: we’ll find the rest.”

_“Nur, nuuur. NEGAO, FOOOAR.”_

“You saw her in the Space Rifts?”

_“NEAR-OOOOOO.”_

“So… she’s discovered a way to get her powers back. Oh well… even with the energy from the Netherverse, her power’s still limited. Compared to me, she’s a tiny asteroid waiting to be crushed within a black hole. Since my power comes from a much greater source.”

_“NE-OOOO.”_

“I know, King. We’ll get ‘er, don’t worry. We’ll have you out of there in no time, I promise.”

The black and white faded and became a pink gap again. Vendra turned to Neftin and ordered, “Go get Star Wolf and start HUNTING for this wannabe witch! No matter what, we can’t let her get her hands on the Dimensionator first!” She passed her brother and left the room.

Neftin followed as he asked worriedly, “Sis, are you really sure we should be listening to this guy? He says he’s the King of Space, but we don’t know anything about him.”

“ _He’s_ the one who gave me unlimited power.” Vendra spoke fiercely as she hovered before him. “HE’S the one who saved us from that HELLHOLE and gave us real LIVES!”

“As CRIMINALS!”

“ _Doesn’t mattuh!_ He wants our help, and we need his! Now are you gonna chicken out on me, or are we gonna do this??”

“Siiigh… No, Sis.”

“Good.” She turned back. “Now let’s get goin’, ‘fore they find out about the fragment in Legola!” She flew off, leaving a conflicted Neftin with his head down.

 _…No matter what… I’ll never abandon you, Sis._ With these thoughts to keep him going, Neftin followed his sister.

 

**Oh my God, it is f^ &king late. Sorry about the stages, I gotta get ta bed, but NEXT time, Chapter 10, we’ll meet our new partner! ;) Anyway, Trunchbull comes from _Matilda_ , Ewoks are _Star Wars_ , Legola is from _Lego Movie_ , siiigh… that’ll be all. So next time… we meet the greatest bender in the universe. ;) Later!**


	11. The Universe’s Greatest Bender

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nebula and Vweeb meet a new friend in the Space Junk Zone.

**Hey guys, welcome to Chapter 10 of _Operation: NECSUS_! Not only will we do the 10th stage, we will get our new and very special partner! ;D Not to mention, the stage itself is… well, just beautiful. Seriously, y’all need to play the music on this one. ;I**

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Chapter 10: The Universe’s Greatest Bender

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**Great Clock**

“Did you see the way she used that Chrono Staff, Sir??” Sigmund asked excitedly as he and Jagar walked down a hall (not that Sig walks). “No doubt, she _really_ takes after her father.”

“But it’s too strange, Sigmund… How would she know how to fix time distortions? I never had time to go over them…”

“Well, uh… I wasn’t planning to tell you, but last night she kinda came to me for a few lessons, and she uh, ‘borrowed’ your staff. She wants to be a Junior Caretaker, can you believe that??”

“So you… taught her that?”

“Well, yes, but… the way she did it, it’s like she’s always known. Intuition… maybe?”

“Hmmm… Sigmund, you watered the plants in Sector 5, right?”

“AHH! R-Right away, Sir!” He zipped down the hall, speeding past Misty as she walked by.

The woman wiggled the toes of her bare feet. “MaKayla’s right. I love how clean these floors are! So what’s up with Speedy Gonzales? He need to use the bathroom or something?” She laughed.

“Probly… Apparently, our daughter’s been going to him for ‘lessons’ last night.”

“Really? Well, she’s already more proficient than her brother at timebending.”

“That’s not what I’m concerned about. I think…I think _she_ might be the Gatekeeper.”

Misty frowned instantly. “You mean…”

“Yeah…”

It was something they’ve known for a while. But they had no idea, how soon it would come. They were terrified.

**Shooting Star**

“Did the pirates find anything in the Space Junk Region, yet?” Nebula asked.

 _“They’re still skimming the area, I think. After all, searching for one item in a trash field is like looking for hay in a needlestack.”_ Pollyx replied.

“Isn’t it ‘needle in a haystack’?” Vweeb asked.

_“Only if you’re a moonbilly. They can’t use ships to enter with all the debris and asteroids, so they use jetpacks. Unfortunately, there’s oil drums everywhere… um, but your Gravity Body should allow you to find distinguishable areas of strong gravity and let you float across the Junk Zone safely. Oh, yes… the Junk Zone happens to be in an Oxygen Bubble, so breathing won’t be a problem. Ehh, if you can withstand smelly junk, that is…”_

“Hm-hm, I’m sure I can manage.” Nebula laughed. “But Vweeb, however…”

“Hey, I withstood Anthony and Kimaya. Junk is nothing.” Vweeb retorted.

Soon, they arrived at the Space Junk Zone, taking land on a circular platform just outside. Nebula climbed out with Vweeb once again on her shoulder, as they viewed the expanse of floating junk before them. (Play “Space Junk Galaxy” from _Super Mario Galaxy_.)

 

_Stage 10: Space Junk Zone_

_Mission: Look for the Zathurian Artifact within the scrap zone._

Nebula stood on the edge of the landing pad, viewing the endless sea of floating junk. Everywhere you look, floating trash, large and small, spun slowly in place, for miles and miles. From where they stood, there didn’t seem to be any clear path. “Ummm… wanna show me that new move of yours?” Vweeb asked.

Nebula looked up and spotted a glowing blue spot on an asteroid. “Don’t get gravitysick.”

“Whooooa!” A tingling sensation fell over Vweeb as they suddenly floated up and landed on the asteroid. They looked up and saw their ship parked upside-down.

“Hm hm, you’re not gonna puke, are ya?” Nebula asked with a humorous smile.

“I hope not… I doubt the junkpeople want barf floating across space.”

“Kateeny barf, they won’t even notice. Just don’t get it on me ‘cause I just polished this suit. Okay, hang on, I see another one.” And light on her feet, Nebula jumped to a higher asteroid, defying gravity as she stood on it perfectly, despite that it was turning from right-side-up to upside-down. They had to wait ‘til it was sideways to Gravity Jump to another asteroid, on its right side.

A circle of space mines looped around the next asteroid, but the openings were large enough to jump through. The next asteroid was directly below, among a large grouping of junk, so they avoided the asteroids and dropped down once again. A series of Space Lights led through a tunnel in the debris, so Nebula created the Space Blocks and calmly jumped across, having to levitate to reach some of them. The path led upward before they reached the tunnel’s exit, but the next Space Light was too high to jump to. But when Nebula formed the block, it was shown to be spinning as well, with its own Grav Space on one side. Nebula jumped onto the space as more consecutive Space Lights formed blocks with Grav Spaces.

They reached a region where mines floated at them, threatening to blow up their blocks, so they had to jump to each block quickly. They made their way inside a cluttered space of trash, where two flat, metal scrap pieces were floating up and down, parallel to each other, allowing Nebula to Wall Jump up them. They landed on a flat asteroid at the top, and were directly above this region of the Junk Zone. No trash floated across this top region, giving them a lovely view of the distant stars.

They had to stand and admire this sight. A sun was shining in the distance, making the sea of junk seem more vibrant than it actually was. “Boy… can you believe this is where all the junk of Galaxia ends up.” Vweeb said with astonishment.

“I know… your everyday junkyard can tell so much history… but seeing an ocean like this… reminds you how endless space is.”

“If endless is the way to put it.”

“I know… a million stars in the sky… each holding a different galaxy. And from them… a million stars in their sky… they never… _end_ …”

Vweeb looked up at her eyes, noting her strange tone. Her eyes were fixed on the endless stars, like she was in a hypnotic trance. “…I can probably float us across.” She finally said. She jumped off the asteroid and began to float across the trash, letting no gravity weigh her down. The sensation was wonderful… feeling lighter than even air. Never has Nebula felt so one with space. Being out in its atmosphere, not inside some stuffy ship… So many directions to go, but so little time to explore it all. That’s why Time opposed Space, she thought.

Her eyes were closed, and Vweeb noticed the peaceful smile on her face. Her long black and white hair flowed behind her, by what little air this region had. He’s never seen Nebula look so peaceful before. She always had the aura of some serious businesswoman. But being out here, in endless space, she never looked so joyous. Her mind was totally adrift in the stars. That’s why Space was her element. The feeling of floating freely… with nothing holding you down… it gave her a greater feeling than air. The space gave Nebula… light.

But it was at that moment she remembered her powers were limited. “Whoooaa-!” They landed on a convenient platform below.

“Heheh! Lost in thought there?” Vweeb laughed.

“Hm hm… yeah.”

The two decided to sit on the edge of the platform, viewing the sunny stars in the distance. It mellowed their minds after such a long journey. “Hey, Vweeb… you ever have a dream?”

“Hm?” He looked confused.

“You know. A goal?”

“Oh… well, my dream, I guess… to become strong enough to take down my mom in a head-to-head fight!”

“Hm, come up with something original!” she laughed.

“Well, what’s YOUR dream, anyway?” he smirked.

“My dream…” She stared out into the endless stars once more. “I’ve always wanted… to see every star out there. See what every galaxy is like. Then maybe… I can start Kids Next Doors in those galaxies… a series of Galactic Kids Next Doors all over the universe… and each one, allied with their individual planets. A tremendous compilation of races… all across the universe… teamed up for a greater good.”

“E-yep. You’ve really taken after your mother.”

“Hm-hm, it’s not _like_ that. But… the stars are endless. It could never happen…”

“Maybe… but in Space, the idea of ‘wishing upon a star’ is increased 10-fold. If you really wanted to… you could float all across the universe.”

“If I could… _yeah_ …” However, their phone suddenly rang, and they answered to Pollyx.

_“I don’t mean to interrupt your romantic moment, but… what the hell are you doing? You’re in the middle of a stage. Viewers wanna see story-progressing, not this emotional garbage.”_

“R-Right. Sorry.” Nebula hung up as she stood and picked Vweeb up. “Well, let’s go.”

“Okay…” Vweeb looked sad now.

They swung a G.R.A.P.P.L.U.H. target to reach a platform where some space-pirates were gathered. They started to blast guns, but the kids easily avoided as Nebula threw N.I.N.S.T.A.R.s to knock their heads around, then quickly blasted them with the S.H.O.O.T.E.R.. They went up a short slope, spotting a Grav Spot on a floating oil drum, so Nebula easily jumped to it. They overlooked a series of oil drums, and flying toward them were space-pirates on jetpacks. They moved slowly and mindlessly, their bodies showing little animation as if they were part of the junk. Regardless, they had to jump across the oil drums fast before the pirates flew into them and blew them up with their jetpacks.

The oil drums led to a row of G.R.A.P.P.L.U.H. targets, landing them safely on a flat asteroid. They overlooked a route between a trench of floating junk, where more pirates mindlessly floated about on wonky jetpacks, floating from one wall to the other. The kids couldn’t tell if these pirates were dead, too dumb to notice, or were simply enjoying the sensation of flying through space. Either way, they looked silly. The pirates served as the perfect platforms to bounce across the chasm, while Nebula had to swing G.R.A.P.P.L.U.H. targets in some areas.

They made it out of the trench and rested on another platform. They overlooked another region of Space Lights, in which the blocks formed were spinning and had Grav Spaces. Nebula formed and jumped to the first one, but some Eeligons; floating red space-worms made up of several see-through blocks, started to fly at them. They had to jump the Space Blocks quickly before the worms could push them off. When they made it out of the Eeligon region, they landed on a stable Space Block that didn’t spin.

They were within another cluttering of space junk as they overlooked a region of Warpids; peaceful, harmless ball-shaped creatures that warped across space, staring blankly with dim yellow eyes. There were plenty scattered about, so Nebula was able to jump them, but had to be careful as some were vanishing aimlessly. When a Warpid she intended to land on vanished, she simply hovered safely to another one, continuing to bounce across.

She landed on a floating, abandoned hovercar, using the G.R.A.P.P.L.U.H. to once again swing a set of targets over a chasm. Finally, they took land on a much wider platform, where an old, abandoned garage rested. They stepped inside the pitch-black shed, where the smell of dust immediately fell to their noses. (Pause music.)

It was a fairly small shed. They looked all around, but it still looked like useless junk. …However, something on the other end caught their eye: yet another pixelly portrait of that same robot’s face. …And below it, a dirty, broken robot with a rusty face, which looked like a 5-o’clock shadow. The robot was gray-colored, with an antenna on its head, a door on its chest, and flexible arms and legs. It was slumped in a pile of junk, having seemingly exhausted all of its energy. Its groggy eyes, which appeared to share a single long socket, looked lifeless.

Nebula and Vweeb stepped forward, staring over this machine with curiosity. “Is it…?” Nebula spoke lowly.

To their shock, the robot moaned, turning its head slightly. _“Ohhhhh… beeeer… I need… beer…_ And a cigar! _Bring me beeeer and a cigaaaaarr.”_

“None of those things are healthy for you!” Vweeb retorted.

 _“Mind your own race’s health concerns, Bug Boy. Ohhhhhh…”_ A shutter closed over his eyes.

“Siiiigh. Okay.” Nebula sighed, turning to walk out. “But in return, you better help us.” (Resume “Space Junk Galaxy” theme.)

There was a path on the right of the shed, leading to a G.R.A.P.P.L.U.H. target that swung them to a wider platform. There were 3 chests scattered around, where Swabs – large, electrified pirates, popped out and charged at the duo. One launched its hook hand and zapped Nebula, but Vweeb quickly blasted its knees and made him drop. The others launched hook hands, but Nebula jumped away and threw N.I.N.S.T.A.R.s to distract them. She tossed grenades for extra damage, but they were still on her as they stunned her with more electricity.

One of them smacked her across the face and sent her across the platform. They ran at her again, but Vweeb zapped their legs with his Stun ray, but it only slowed them down slightly. Nebula tossed more grenades, but it still didn’t do much as they chased her around the field. They didn’t go down until after a few more rounds of bombs. “Hoo… that was rough.” She sighed.

“Hopefully we’ll get stronger weapons later.” Vweeb said.

This platform was linked to 3 others via walkways, forming a circle. They were on the lowest one, the side ones were medium, and the one across was the highest. They walked to the right platform and saw a row of Space Lights leading over an empty chasm. Nebula was able to activate them all at the same time, and the blocks were speedily moving left-and-right, up-and-down, forward-backward, and some were spinning, respectively. It was fast, tricky platforming, but at the end of the floating blocks, Nebula found a discarded, floating beer bottle. “Hmmm… looks fresh enough. Besides, he’s a robot.”

She took the beer and jumped her way across the blocks, then afterwards swung back to the robot. She gave him the beer, and he had enough strength to drink away. “Gla-glu-gla…” When he finished, he released a “BUUUURP”, surprising the kids as fire came out. _“Mmmmoooore…”_

They went back to the platforms and took the left one this time. They overlooked a grouping of cluttered junk as a blue Gravity Path seemed to stretch across long, scattered remains of a fallen ship. Nebula jumped to the path’s beginning and started to walk across. There were cannons and flamethrowers blasting from the sides of the path, but Nebula walked past them easily. They reached the end of the path and had to jump to the parallel one (above their heads from their view). This path had gaps in it, which Nebula simply had to Grav-Jump. One of the spaces flipped between a flat space and spikes, so Nebula jumped it when it was flat, then jumped to the next. The next space opened and closed, revealing flames underneath, so obviously Nebula jumped it when it closed. At the end of the path was another beer bottle floating in place.

They returned to the robot and gave him the beer to drink. “Gluh-glah-gluh, BUUUUURP. _Haven’t you ever worked at a Hooters? I said, more beer!”_

They returned to the platforms and walked to the higher one. Two Corsair Pirates were in turrets and blasting the kids, but Nebula easily dodged to the first one and wiped it out with grenades. With that, she manned the turret and proceeded to blast away the other one. A swarm of pirates suddenly charged in, so Nebula had to blast them all using the turret. They got fairly close, but Nebula was still able to stop them. The last pirate was another Swab, which was glowing a cyan color. Nebula blasted it quickly, but it took the hits and bashed her turret until it was destroyed. Nebula was shocked by its hook, but Vweeb stunned his legs to weaken him so Nebula could run to the other turret. She quickly dealt the last round of bullets before he was destroyed.

The pirate released a Cyan Laser Wisp, which granted Nebula its power. She looked up and noticed the set of Cyan Diamonds leading up and around. “LASER!” She zapped to the first one and zipped up as fast as lightning. She reverted to normal in a flash at the top, where a beer floated in place. She smiled and took it before dropping down very lightly.

They were about to return to the robot, but there was still the matter of the cigar. However, they noticed a tiny path leading down and around the first platform. Vweeb followed it down and discovered a cigar lying on the edge. He smiled and brought it up, and they proceeded back to the robot. (Pause song.)

“Glah-gluh-glah-gluh… Uuuuh.” He drank the last beer and dropped the bottle. His body instantly shook as his eyes seemed to regain life. The dents in his body became straight again, his rusty beard faded away, and any wet parts became clean. He jumped to his feet and yelled with enthusiasm, “WOOOO! Hot-diggity DAFFODIL! That hit the spot, baby!” He took the cigar from Nebula, lit it, and inhaled and blew out a smoke. “Ahhhh. Olll’ Smokey. Came far after doin’ those lousy ‘forest fire’ ads. Hey, thanks for the help there, kids! Say, what’s a couple-a squirts doin’ out here, anyway?”

Neb and Vweeb exchanged confused glances. “Um, we’re… looking for an artifact.” Nebula answered.

“Oh, trash-robbin’, are ya? Well, good to meet ya! My name’s Bender. My full name is Bender Bending _R-R-R-R-_ Rodríguez. Yeah, my middle name’s Bending. I’m a bender.”

“Oh?” Vweeb perked with interest. “What’s your element?”

“What the-?? Noooo! Not THAT kinda bender! I bend stuff! Like girders! Or jail bars. Or people!”

“Oh… you’re a BENDING robot.” Vweeb concluded.

“Eeee-yep.” He stated proudly, blowing a smoke. “Well… I’m goin’ to go kill myself. Later, kids.” He passed them and began to walk away.

“What?! Why?” Nebula asked.

He stopped and sighed, “It’s just not as fun as it used to be. Bending. I mean… back in the day, I could bend _all_ the girders. 30 feet high to 15 inches… and any angle, too! 30 degrees, 31 degrees, you name it! 32…” His expression became sad, “But I couldn’t go on knowing what the girders were used for.”

“What?” Vweeb asked.

“Suicide Booths. So I escaped from labor and joined this delivery company… but business got slow, so I resorted to my backup hobby, stealing. Which I enjoy. Eventually, Mom caught on to my ‘defection,’ so she sent the Killbots after me, and then I got dumped in _this_ place. She can’t stand a defective robot ruining _her_ reputation. …Say, think you can spot me some change for the booth? I’m just gonna wrap a string around and pull it back.”

Vweeb immediately jumped to his head, then landed on the spot between Bender’s eyes. “You can’t kill yourself!!”

“Hey, back away, Shrimpy, I got nothin’ else to live for and the minute I set foot on Coruscant, those Killbots’ll be on me again.”

Vweeb jumped to the ground and yelled up at him, “If you kill yourself, you’ll miss out on the rest of your life and you’ll NEVER know what good things could happen! And what about your own life’s goals?? You may be a robot, but haven’t you ever had a dream to follow??”

This made the robot reflect for a bit. Indeed… he _did_ have a goal he wanted to follow. “My dream?” Vweeb smiled, seeing his sudden change in spirit. “My dream… is…” With pure confidence, he raised his arms and announced to the world, “TO KILL ALL HUMANS!!”

Vweeb and Nebula did an anime falling style. “Oh…” Bender noticed something. “ _You’re_ a human, aren’t ya?”

Still fallen, Nebula said dizzily, “Well… my mom was Zathurian, and my dad was a Wisp who _became_ human. He was Jamaican, too.”

“Oh! Well, you don’t really qualify then! He- Waaaait…” Bender’s eyes furrowed at the word ‘Jamaican.’ “Is your dad a bureaucrat?”

“Um… no, he’s a councilman.”

“Oh. Well, I know a Jamaican guy! He’s actually on my ‘Do Not Kill’ list. So you’re all right!”

Nebula got up and brushed herself. “Look… it’s not a goal I can just let you follow peacefully… but if you help us out, I’ll help you follow it as much as I can…”

“Frankly, there’s a FEW humans we’d like killed!” Vweeb perked with a smile. “Like Mom! Uh, the person.”

“Hang on now! I can’t kill Mom! She created me! She’s… _my mommy_.” He said goofily. “Even IF she wanted me trashed. Anyway… you kids seem alright, and… I got nothin’ else to do, so… how ‘bout I help you rob this artifact??” He looked excited.

“Well, I guess a bending robot could be useful.” Nebula figured.

“SWEET! Bender is back, babeh!” He did a dance.

“I’m Nebula, by the way.” She mentioned.

“And _I’m_ Vweeb!” Vweeb declared proudly.

“What’re you, her pet?”

Nebula giggled while Vweeb glared.

“But just remember, you’re all inferior to me: Bender!” They looked disbelieved. “Oh, by the way, forgot to mention: noticed any of my ‘Special Markings’ everywhere?” Their eyes directed back at the pixelly picture inside the shack.

“Wait… so YOU’VE been leaving those?” Nebula asked.

“Yep! Making graffiti art is my FOURTH hobby!”

“How many hobbies do you have?” Vweeb asked.

“Ehh, just a couple hundred. But between you and me, I actually downloaded a bit of my data into these pixels!” he explained as he pulled out a camera from his compartment. “Just so people could have an extra taste of Bender. But if you snap them with these cameras, I can get that data back and do more cool stuff! Like so.” With that, he snapped a picture of his graffiti, downloading the data. “I put these all over the galaxy, so try to find them if you can!” He tossed Nebula the camera.

_Side Mission unlocked: Locate Bender’s Graffiti Markings across the galaxy!_

“Umm… we’ll keep an eye out. So shall we get going?”

“YOU got it! Now let’s go already! I got a date with a hot floozy at 5!” As he walked away, Neb and Vweeb still looked with disbelief.

 ** _Bender Rodríguez_ joined your crew! His bending powers outmatch all those across the universe!** (“That’s right, babeh!”) **If there’s a huge, metal wall you need bent down, Bender’s the guy to call! Oh, and he can do other things, too!**

(Resume “Space Junk Galaxy” again!) They looked and saw another path to the left of the shack, where another road lay across a chasm. Bender’s arms and legs stretched across so he could grab the edge of that road, allowing Nebula and Vweeb to cross him like a bridge. Once across, Bender pulled himself over as they approached a large wall with a huge, metal door. “Stand back and see why they call me ‘Bender the Magnificent’!” The robot declared as he stretched an arm, grabbed the top of the door, and touched his other arm to the bottom as he easily bent it down.

They continued further as a squad of Buccaneers charged from ahead, this time wielding large shields. Nebula tossed grenades, but their shields proved stronger as they continued to blast. “Heh heh heh.” Bender laughed smugly. “You and those silly toys. This is how robots get things done. Namely, me: Bender!” With that, the robot stretched over to bend each of their shields, making them obsolete as they tossed them away. Nebula was able to toss grenades and bomb them, while Bender jumped behind them, stretched his legs, and wrapped around the pirates to throw them into others.

“I didn’t think you were built for combat.” Nebula said as they moved along.

“What’re you talking about, ‘course I am! My 5th hobby was Robot Wrestling! They called me ‘Bender the Offender’!”

They passed another doorway and encountered a trio of Swabs ahead. One launched its electric hook and grabbed Bender’s antenna. Bender began sizzling with sensation as the electricity flowed through him. _“A-a-a-a-a-w-w-w-w ye-e-e-e-a-a-a-h.”_ He grabbed the Swab’s chain and swung him around the air before tossing him at another. He then reached to grab the third one, bending him backward and using him as a weapon to bash the previous two. He then tossed the pirate over the edge as Vweeb Stunned the others’ legs, leaving Nebula to toss grenades and finish them.

They were nearing the end of the road, reaching another wall with a barred door. “Hmmm, probably gonna take someone strong and capable at bending to bend these bars.” Bender figured.

Nebula smiled and casually pushed the door open. “It’s open.” They walked in.

“…Aww.” Bender frowned and glumly followed them in. However, he reached back and bent the bars. “Hehehehehehehehe!” (End song.)

They entered a small field of trash piles and found a small, black pyramid sitting on a pile in the center. “Ooooh! Shiny!” Bender said.

Nebula took the artifact and aimed the bottom scanner at her eye. After it scanned, the Zathurian message presented itself. “‘You, who is descended from the Clan of Space and wishes to harness our ancient power, seek the 6 pieces that will make our invention whole. The next Dimensional Fragment can be found on Legola, the planet of craftsmen and master builders alike. But let it be known, the carpenters of this planet serve a greater purpose than what they appear. Good luck, and beware the darkness that Space holds.’ …”

“Wow! I didn’t know you were Egyptian!” Bender perked.

“It’s Zathurian. And it’s a clue, telling us the location of a piece of the Dimensionator. …I think I have some explaining.”

“Yeah, well, at any rate,” he took out another cigar from his chest, “how much is that artifact, we could probably make some good cash off it.”

“Just leave it for the pirates, they won’t get much from it. We have to get to Legola before the Drophyds catch wind.” She dropped the artifact and was about to leave with Vweeb.

“A’ight, you have fun with that.” Bender told them. “Ah’m just gonna look for more treasures.”

They turned back. “You’re coming with us, aren’t you?” Vweeb asked.

Bender turned with slight surprise. “You want _me_ to come with you? An old, but still very great bending robot you found in the trash?”

“Well, you helped us just now.” Nebula said. “Besides, having more company would be nice.”

“Awwww, you kids.” He grinned sheepishly. “Sure Ah’ll come with you! ’Long as we make a quick stop first.” He proceeded to follow them.

“Where to?” Vweeb asked.

“Ehh, no place special.” With that, they were on their way back to the ship. However, Bender’s hand reached back and took the artifact. _“Hehehehehehehehe!”_

From behind a pile of trash, Captain Slag and Rusty Pete peeked out. “Arrrr… I thought Ay caught wind of a sniffling space-rat. Well, they aren’t outhoistin’ this captain, aye?”

“You said it, Captain! But say, you think we can ask that girl how she does her hair? Ah’m lookin’ to try new wigs, you see!”

“Siiiigh…”

**Sector V’s captured Drophyd ship**

_“Have you guys rescued the captive operatives?”_ Jerome asked through the terminal monitor. They were able to link the ship’s communications to his communicator thanks to Vanel and Game-and-Watch’s hacking.

“Most of them, ’far as we know.” Aurora said. “We had to get a few extras.” Behind her, the Kateenian kids had tackled Chris to the floor.

_“That’ll have to do. Just take everyone back to their respective planets. As for the operatives, put them in the care of the Kids Next Doors on those planets. My recon shows they’re holding up fairly well, so they should be safe. And that includes Makava, take her to the Glomourian Kids Next Door. I’ll explain to her parents.”_

“Don’t forget to send us coordinates.” Aurora noted. “Not like we can fly around space on our own.”

“But since that Trunchbull spotted us, they’re probably gonna send troopers out to get us.” Dillon figured. “And I doubt Game-and-Watch can fool ‘em for long.”

 _Beep. BOOP._ Game-and-Watch beeped.

“Let’s just deliver as many of these kids as we can before then.” Aurora said. “Some of these planets’ll take us out of Galaxia for delivery. Let’s get on it, team.”

**Caesar’s Lab**

“YOU SCATTER-BRAINED SACK OF GASEOUS STUPID JUICE!” yelled Mom as she smacked and forcefully grabbed Caesar’s cheek. “You gave me a lousy Devil Fruit!”

“Owwww! I told you the Neanderthal Fruit was still experimental! I didn’t have enough time to put in the special abilities before you rushed me!”

“I’LL RUSH YOUR FACE!”

“Oooow!” Another smack.

“Oh, leave him alone, Carol.” Tachyon ordered as he stomped over on his walking throne. “Vendra just called and reported that Nebula was on Endor. She found a Space Rift and acquired one of her lost powers. She must be aiming to recover her spacebending and destroy me! We have to step up our forces and-” The small monitor on Tachyon’s throne started ringing.

 _“PERCIVAAAAL!”_ Trunchbull’s furious image appeared. _“One of your feeble fish-men brought a bunch of renegade hooligans to my school and escaped with over FIFTY of my students!”_

“What?! Tell me, were they Sector V by any chance?”

_“Sector V, Sector W, I don’t know what the hell letter they belong to, all I know is THEY’RE CUTTING MY CLASSES!”_

“Oh, just settle down, we’ll get your kids back. If they rescued a bunch of alien kids, they’ll likely be aiming to drop them off on their respective planets. We’ll send troops and try to secure the atmosphere around-”

“Emperor.” The Drophyd Leader marched in. “One of our ships just picked up an uncharted frequency, coming from one of our own. We tracked the source heading for Galaxia’s border.”

“It must be them! Perfect! Send some troopers to ambush them, and have Star Wolf accompany. Meanwhile, we need to refocus our efforts on taking the Dimensional Fragment from Legola. It seems Lord Business hasn’t decided my proposal.”

“He _is_ one of the Corporate Presidents, he won’t abide easy.” Drophyd Leader said.

“Not exactly.” Mom smirked. “The truth is, he is only an _honorary_ member. At the moment, he’s too small-time to be full-fledged, and none of the others take him seriously. If he doesn’t give us the fragment, we’ll waste him easy.”

“I should hope so.” Tachyon said. “It seems Nebula has caught wind of the artifact in the Space Junk. She’ll be off to Legola soon…”

**Great Clock**

It was nighttime on Great Clock (time was confusing in space), and the King Family was asleep. But once again, MaKayla shot awake, eyes glowing their mysterious blue. Still in her pajamas, she got up, took her father’s Chrono Staff, and was off to the Planet Rooms.

In Sector 3 of the station, MaKayla climbed to a hologram of Planet Legola. She conjured the Time Gate and entered to the past.

**Planet Legola; 8 ½ years ago**

MaKayla appeared in a hallway of the Octan Tower, hiding behind a corner as some Lego Troopers marched down an intersecting hall. “Hey, did you hear about that weapon Lord Business was making?”

“Yeah, he found one of those treasures in the Ancient Underground and now he’s making something outta it. Something that’ll take his business to a ‘whole new level.’”

“I’m sure that’ll go well.” He said sarcastically.

“Yeah, and apparently he’s got the one item that can stop his weapon, which he’s planning to toss off the Edge of the Universe.”

“Ahh. Speakin’ of which, who builds an infinity-foot high building next to a black hole?”

“I dunno.”

MaKayla watched them leave and looked curiously. As she walked forward, the hard, lumpy substance that made up the Lego World’s ground was rough on her feet. “Earthbenders should never come here…” (Play the “Big Bullet Brigade” from _Mario 3-D World_.)

 

_Stage 11: Octan Tower_

_Mission: Obtain the Piece of Resistance from Lord Business._

MaKayla passed the hallway and peeked into a large room where Lego Troopers were grouped in perfect rows. Some marched left, some marched right, but they all gathered at the center before splitting. MaKayla had to run forward while they were split, jumping behind two short walls to evade their vision. She ran further when the next half turned, making it onto a set of large stairs. One of the stairs was too high to jump to, and two soldiers were marching beneath it. She waited ‘til they were turned from her before throwing a Time Bomb, slowing them down, and jumping off their heads to reach that floor.

She turned left to a short hall of rapid-blinking, colorful floor panels, with some kind of generator in the center. She threw a Time Bomb at that generator, and a particular trail of red panels appeared at where she stood, while all the others were orange. She got on, and the panels changed red as they moved along, but a panel at the start reverted to orange as a result. She carefully stayed on this path as it went random directions, but was able to make it across, anyway.

She reached an outside balcony, overlooking the dark, stormy expanse as a spiraling black hole loomed deep below. MaKayla followed the path on the building’s side, stepping on a switch that made a platform float up to a higher path. However, it only stayed up when she stood on the switch, and it came down when she got off. So she had to use Time Recordance to have a clone stand on the switch, while she got on the platform and rode up.

She hid behind a metal crate before a thin bridge where duos of soldiers marched back-and-forth. Individual pairs marched opposite ways, so MaKayla wouldn’t hide from them well. The sides of the bridge had red lasers for railing, but the left side seemed to originate from the wall. When the first line of soldiers was turned, she pushed the block left, then forward to block the lasers’ path. With that, she was able to grab a metal beam just below the ledge, holding tight as she grappled under and across the walkway. “So I told Business, forget health insurance, forget coffee breaks, I JUST want a decent railing!” a soldier stated.

“I know, I almost touched those lasers so many times!”

“Yeah, and what’s he got us for if he has though deathtraps, anyhow?”

“I mean, what’s the harm if we _lean_ too much, anyway?”

“Siiigh, those business guys.”

MaKayla climbed back up once on the other side, then had to push another metal block below a high ledge, allowing her to climb up. A group of Lego Spinners, Bladed Spinners made of Legos, led across to the next platform, which was back over the way she came from. She slowed the Spinners with a Time Bomb to jump them more safely, and once at the platform, she had to grapple across a small ledge. Lego Snapdragons tried to gnash her, but she whacked them with her staff, breaking their Legos as they fell into the abyss.

MaKayla reached the next platform and entered the building again. She was on a walkway over a pit of Lego-lava, and in the room’s center was a platform surrounded by lasers, protecting a huge bottle labeled Kragle. She went up some stairs to the second-floor walkway, where some Fly Guys, Shy Guys with propellers, held giant brooms and swept across the path, aiming to sweep intruders off. MaKayla dodged the brooms carefully as she crossed the bridge, then went up more stairs to the next room.

She was in another room of flashing panels. She threw a Time Bomb at the generator, and the trail she had to follow blinked red for a few seconds before becoming orange. She stepped across the first panels carefully, but was very nervous about stepping on the wrong ones. However, when she looked closely, the right panels were a faint shade of red, so she walked across them quickly before the Time Bomb stopped. She made it across and went up some stairs to the next floor, reaching a room of businessmen on many terminals. 

Business’s henchman, Bad Cop was marching down the center aisle, and when his back turned, MaKayla simply hid in between the terminals, since the businessmen were too focused on their work. She managed to get past the cop and entered the chamber of Lord Business. The evil businessman himself held a large, red rectangular block known as the Piece of Resistance, pacing back-and-forth before the chasm on his giant legs. (End song.)

“Ugh, those stupid kids using my precious Legos as their little toys.” He said to himself. “Well, not anymore! The Kragle will soon change ALL of that! Ugh, but it’s been out of use for so long, it’s lost its touch. I know something that’ll help me power it… but I’ll need to find it first. Once it’s ready, I can finally keep my Lego sets together and still, and the Corporate Presidents may finally accept me as one of their own! And if THIS is never seen again,” he raised the Piece of Resistance, “there will be NOTHING that can stop me! Have fun spinning in infinite nothingness, AHHH hahahahaha!” The moment he tossed the block into the chasm, MaKayla tossed a Time Bomb and slowed him down, dashing past and jumping after the block.

MaKayla dove fast and grabbed the Piece of Resistance, clutching tight as the wind rushed past while she fell. She calmly focused her energy, and just seconds before vanishing in the black hole, she vanished in a time-warp.

**Great Clock**

MaKayla reappeared in the Planet Room, rubbing her sore feet after the arduous trek across the Lego grounds. _“You are not yet finished.”_ Clockwork reminded her. _“You must make one more trip to deliver the piece to one who will use it.”_

“Yeah, I know… hoo, all this time-jumping is making me nauseous.” With that, she was on her way to another planet projector. From a nearby doorway, Jagar watched his daughter with worry. It seems his suspicions were true…

**Sargasso Space Station**

The Ruffians and Star Wolf were gearing up their spacecraft to take off when John Fett hurried up to his team. “Just got a call from the Emp.. He wants us to go with the Drophyds after a renegade transport ship.”

“But Vendra ordered us to go after Nebula.” Aurorra said. “What should we do?”

“I’d rather go with Vendra’s mission.” Daddy said. “She and her brother are so hot-headed.”

“Well, Tachyon is the one who’s ultimately paying us.” John replied. “Hmm… Why don’t we send _him_ after those kids?”

“HIM?” Aurorra questioned. “That guy can barely catch a cat in his own litter box.”

“Hey, he’s still got the goods. Look, we’ll have him go with the Drophyds and get the kids, the rest of us’ll go and grab Nebula, then BOTH of them can be happy. I’ll go get ‘im.”

John walked to a higher floor and entered a small room, where a mysterious man sat in the shadows. “Whoa, Baby… save the spotlights for later.” He spoke with a smooth voice.

“In your dreams. Listen, new guy, we got a job for you.”

“A job, you say? Well, who am I to disappoint my fans.”

“Yeah, yeah. Couple-a snot-nosed kids escaped with a bunch MORE snot-nosed kids, and you gotta stop them from gettin’ to their planets.”

“I see. Well…” He stepped out of the shadows. He was a thin, early-20s man with a sleek, black pompadour, white spacesuit, and gorgeous black eyes. “That’s just dandy.”

 

**Oooo a mysterious man! Can you guess who? ;3 So yes, there is our new partner: Bender Bending Rodríguez. He is my favorite character on _Futurama_ , and is without a doubt the greatest bender in the universe. ;3 Next time, we will go to Planet Legola and get the next Dimensional Fragment. And with Bender in tow, things should be a lot more lively. ;3 Later!**


	12. Just Business

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Team Nebula go to Planet Legola!

**Halright, everybody, let us be off to Planet Legola! ‘nother fairly long chapter, is my expectation, but let’s get through this!**

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**_

Chapter 11: Just Business

_**

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**Shooting Star**

Nebula and Vweeb were back in space with their new partner, Bender. The robot sat in the backseat, having to bend over since he was too tall for this kid-size spacecraft. “Maaaan, couldn’t you make more adjustable seating?!”

“Well, it was never meant to carry adults to begin with.” Nebula stated. “Adults of your height, anyhow…”

“Lucky I didn’t need that seat!” Vweeb remarked.

“Man, if I knew I had to sit like this, I’d’ve sat on the roof! And why can’t I smoke in here, again?”

“Because _some_ lifeforms have lungs, and therefore need to breathe.” Nebula stated.

“Can’t you just open a window?”

“As much as I love open space, again, we need oxygen.”

 _“Mmmeh-meh, I don’t even NEED, mmm-mm, oxygen.”_ Bender mumbled angrily.

“Wouldn’t you LIKE being bent over?” Vweeb asked.

“NORMALLY, but when I don’t have a comfy SEAT, it gets a little unpleasant! What’s under this seat, anyway?” He wobbled in his seat as he glanced underneath. He reached under and pulled out a strange, red, rectangular block. “What the heck is this?”

Nebula turned back. “Hmm… good question. What’s something like that doing there?”

“You think Pollyx’s son left it?” Vweeb asked.

“We’ll ask him after we land on Legola.”

“Hey! Guys! Before we go there,” Bender spoke up, “I wanna make a stop at the Hip Joint! I scheduled a _date_ with a couple-a floozies, _r-r-r-r-rowl_.”

“The Hip Joint?” Neb asked. “Do they even let kids in there?”

“What, they got _juice_. You meatbags drink that stuff, right?”

“Either way, I’m not good at parties.” Vweeb said. “My view of a party: a bunch of giant feet stomping everywhere on anything aimlessly.”

“Well, a drink wouldn’t hurt.” Nebula figured. “Let’s just drop by and refuel.”

**Great Clock**

George King sat in bed with his covers half-over as he half-tiredly watched the TV in their room. “Ohhhh…” He looked as MaKayla slouched in, dragging her feet and looking more tired than ever.

“MaKayla? Where were you this time?”

“Can’t talk… must get sleep.” With that, she fell and plopped on her bed, not bothering to put covers over her.

As George looked confusedly, he noticed a bunch of little circles dented on the bottoms of her feet. “What happened to your feet?”

“Huuuuh… Legola… bad floors… needs… remodeling.” And she was soon fast asleep.

… George became more and more suspicious.

**The Hip Joint**

The Shooting Star landed on the parking lot of a nightclub adrift in the middle of space. The place was lively as aliens danced about crazily, with Bender dancing with some fembots. Nebula and Vweeb sat at the counter (well, Vweeb stood on it), laying the mysterious block on the counter as Nebula raised her communicator to it. A few seats down, a Togruta woman was talking with a floating ball of energy. “Look, it’s not you, it’s just, I’m looking for someone with a little more substance.”

 _“I understand. One day, you will evolve beyond your physical being. When that time comes… I hope you will pick up the phone.”_ The energy ball floated away.

 _“Hmm, that_ is _an interesting object.”_ Pollyx responded as he studied the block. _“Judging by its structure, it looks like something from Planet Legola. I’m not sure why my son would have it, or why he’d hide it under your seat.”_

“Well, that is where we were headed.” Nebula replied. “And it was under the backseat, which me and Vweeb had no reason for using until Bender came. It’s really interesting…”

_“First someone sends a note to Sector W7 to come help you, now this? Ahhhh, the mystery deepens. However, I believe I have an idea what this particular piece is: I heard a rumor that, 8 years ago, the ruler of Legola, Lord Business, was developing some kind of weapon, and there was only one object that could destroy it. He was said to have thrown that object down the ‘Edge of the Universe.’ How in the world would it end up in the Shooting Star?”_

“If it’s used for stopping a weapon, it may be a good idea to keep it. Anyway, we’re gonna relax at this club for a short while before setting off to Legola. Keep you posted.”

 _“Careful what you drink, now!”_ They hung up.

“Here’s your juice, Honey.” A fembot said as she placed a glass of juice on the counter. Nebula bent the thin straw and began to lightly sip it. She then picked the straw up in her mouth, held it above the counter, and let a few drops of juice drop so that Vweeb could drink them. “So… on a space journey, huh?” the fembot asked smoothly. “That sounds a little too much for a couple of kids. Let alone a little Kateenian like you.”

Vweeb looked up and spoke proudly, “Well, I’m not just Kateenian: I’m half-Glomourian! The strength of a thousand proud warriors runs in my veins!”

“Mmm HM HM hm hm! Half-GLOMOURIAN? Then someone forgot to update my software!” She laughed hysterically and walked away.

“The heck’s her problem?” Vweeb asked, offended.

Bender came to sit by them, blowing a cigar and holding an armful of beer. “Ahhh, nothing like a post-reactivation dance with a group of bimbos to get the motors runnin’. Well, that called for a drink!” He began chugging down one of his beers.

“Why does a robot need to drink?” Vweeb asked.

“I don’t NEED to drink! I can quit whenever I want! Nah, actually I do. I use alcohol to charge my fuel cells. Without it, I’d go completely numb. When those Killbots were chasing me, I took cover in that shed, and I was able to survive their round of bullets, before one of them said something that made ‘em kill each other. But by that time, my beer gauge was worn out from running, so I got stuck.”

“But what’re the cigars for?”

“They make me look cool.” Bender blew a smoke. “So’d you find out what’s with that seat-bump?”

“It’s something from Legola, apparently, and it’s used to destroy a weapon. Either way… we should probably be off now. You done partying?”

“Yeah, Ah’m meetin’ up at Hedonismbot’s later. So le’s GET AWN to Legola! It gon’ be fun on a bun!”

But screams erupted around the nightclub when space-pirates flew in through the windows. “AHA! AVAST ye, scurvy dancerats!” Captain Slag exclaimed. “Where be the duo of the Cruella-haired and robot of smoky mouth… AHA!” He jabbed his hook hand toward Nebula and Bender. “Ye mangy worms be makin’ fools of me loyal mateys! Now Ay BELIEVE ye owe me something, ya trash-robbin’ dogs!”

“Bender! Did you take the artifact? ?” Nebula questioned.

Bender took it out and said, “Yeah, but I can explain! It’s really valuable!”

Nebula swiped it and said, “Look, you can have it, we don’t need it.” then tossed it to Slag.

“Pah.” He tossed it aside. “Ay have no need for that sorry saw-proof pyramid. Thar be plenty more out there, and Ay’ll have the one who can translate ‘em!” He pointed at Nebula, who looked surprised. “With yer knowledge on the topic, I’ll no doubt find the Dimensionator, and sail the briny stars like never befarrr!”

“Lads: take the Zathurian and (hiccup) lock ‘er down under!” Rusty Pete commanded.

The three heroes bunched together as the pirates closed in, swords ready. “Don’t worry, guys: I got a plan.” Bender spoke. “Ah-he-hem: HEY, LOOK! The Dimensionator!”

“Warr?? WHERE?” Slag and the others looked that way. “I don’t see it!”

“Bonkers, Cap’n! The Dimensionator isn’t built yet (hiccup)!” Pete yelled.

“Well, slip me an olive, Rusty Pete. If it not be there, then where be-” When they turned back, the three were gone. “AHHH! Davy Jarg’s beard! I’ve been bamboozled!”

The three hopped in the Shooting Star and sped away as the space-pirates chased in their small ships.

**A few parsecs away (however space-travel is measured)**

“You sure we’re in the right place?” Aurorra asked as the three Star Wolf members flew across space in their Wolfens, alongside a squad of Ruffian ships.

“Sure I’m sure.” John said. “This route lies between Space Junk and Legola, so they gotta be comin’ through here. ’Fact, that nightclub’s on this path, too, we oughta stop. …Ahh, see, here they come now!”

Just a short distance away, the Shooting Star was flying right to them. “Hey, Nebula! It’s Star Wolf!” Vweeb pointed.

“Perfect.” Neb smirked.

“Alright, brats, you want this to go easy, stop the ship right now or-” But the kids zipped past them, ignoring John’s request.

“Byyye!” Neb cheered.

Star Wolf faced forward again, gasping as the pirates were coming, and both fleets stopped in place. “Arrr, outta the way ye bounty huntin’ buffoons, and let us capture our prey!” Slag demanded.

“Hey, anyone’s gettin’ that prey, it’s us, now BACK off you drunk clams.” John retorted.

“Oi, if it’s a tussle ye be wantin’, a tussle ye shall get! Up them dukes, wily apes, and let’s have a fair go at space-fisticuffs!”

“Ugh… this pirate-talk bugs the crap outta me. All right, let’s do this.”

**Legola; Octan Tower**

Lord Business stepped off his giant mech-legs and stepped out onto the balcony of his infinite-floor building. A ship hovered by as Mom stood on its balcony. “This better be important, Carol. Business don’t have time to waste.”

“You know what I came for, you Simpson-faced shrimphead.” Mom retorted. “Give me the Dimensional Fragment and we’ll lift that embargo on your planet.”

“Afraid not, Mom. I’ve got important business with that fragment. After nearly 8 ½ years, the Kragle is finally ready to be unleashed into the world! Once it’s put into action, the Corporate Presidents will finally see what potential I bring!”

“HA HA hahahahahaha! Bring whatever potential you want, Business, but you’ll always be nothing more than an _honorary_ member. And as any corporate head would know, that’s the WORST kind of membership! No matter… I’ll let you have your fun with it. But ’soon as your little experiment fails, I’M COMING for the fragment!” Her ship flew away.

“Grrrr.” Business grumbled with hate as he went into his lab, where Sector DR sat around boredly. Doflamingo was kicked back in a chair and Sugar ate grapes off her fingers.

“You ain’t the only one that don’t got time to wait.” Doffy stated. “We got business, too.”

“I’ll get your supplies, but first, how ’bout stayin’ to watch me demonstrate my new weapon?” Business smirked.

“I’m always up for a new weapon!” Sweetie perked.

“Ring it up, Bad Cop!”

“Mmm.” Bad Cop pressed a remote, making the floor open as a machine rose up. The Dimensional Fragment was in a dome at the top, and was channeling energy inside the device, and lodged in the center was the giant bottle of glue known as the Kragle. Business turned and aimed it out the window, skimming the earth for a target.

“Let’s see… that new house seems like a good test. Lock on target… ready… FIRE!” The machine brimmed a dark pink before unleashing a mighty blast of glue.

**Down below**

The glue completely covered a two-story white house made of Legos, where Cleveland Brown was currently taking a bath. The glue seeped into the house as well, and Cleveland was unable to get out of his bathtub. “Well then… this is a good bowl of irony.”

**Octan Tower**

“HA ha haaa! It works! Using the gravity powers encased in the Dimensional Fragment, I’ve increased the stickability of the Krazy Glue! Now all of my precious Legos will stick together perfectly, and all the chaos and distortion of this planet will be eliminated! And after you rescue this employee of yours, _you_ can put in the good word to your dad!” He said to Doflamingo.

“Yeah… I’m sure he’ll love it a lot. He’ll _also_ love it if I get this person back, so until I do…”

“Right right, of course.” Business nodded. “I’ll ready your supplies right away. After all… Business keeps no one waiting.” He smirked deviously. “…Except customers. We make ‘em wait all the time.”

**Outside Legola’s atmosphere**

The team of three were finally approaching the colorful planet made of blocks. “Oh yeah, I remember this place.” Bender said. “It’s where I got the pieces to make my graffiti. You know, I always wondered, how’d this planet get MADE, anyway? It’s just a bunch of blocks stuck together, right?”

“Maybe their god did it.” Vweeb assumed.

“I heard this planet was actually pretty spirited.” Nebula said. “So hearing about a weapon, sounds kinda weird. But considering their skill as craftsmen, it’s not impossible. Let’s land and see what they know about this piece.”

They took land in an open area a few yards away from a construction site. They stepped out, viewing the block-made expanse. (Play “Everything is Awesome!” from the _Lego Movie_!)

The city was flowing with little, happy yellow-skinned people, each seemingly on a set path as this song echoed across the city. The people at the construction site were happily building a brick wall, only to destroy it with a wrecking ball and build it again. Either way, the people of this planet seemed amazingly happy.

“Man, what’s with all the mini Flanders’?” Bender asked.

“Hm hm hm.” Nebula chuckled. “I heard this planet’s always so lively. I guess you could expect it, since they’re all a bunch of toys. But where to start looking for the fragment…”

“You wanted to ask ‘em about this piece too, right?” Bender asked as he took out the Piece of Resistance. “Let’s do that and maybe we can find somethin’.” With that, he walked up to a random nearby cop and asked, “’ey, you. You know anything ‘bout what this thing is for?”

He gasped with fright. “The Piece of Resistance!”

In seconds, the three were surrounded by cop cars speeding into the area. _“Freeze. For trying to defy the President Business, you three are under arrest.”_

“Eyaaah!” The three immediately bolted. “I take it they aren’t happy to see this thing!” Vweeb yelled.

“Should we tell them we come in peace??” Nebula asked.

“It’s too late!” Bender yelled. “Just RUN FOR IT!”

 

_Stage 12: Lego City_

_Mission: Find the Dimensional Fragment._

_Act 1_

Neb, Vweeb, and Bender hurried to the construction site, going up a stairway of bricks that led to a hanging metal (Lego) beam, hanging from a crane. The crane lifted them to a level on the scaffolding, so they began to cross when a wrecking ball swung by and destroyed part of the path. Nebula easily floated the gap while Bender stretched across. They made a left turn and encountered two Lego Cops, who jumped on either side of them respectively. Bender wrapped an arm around the scaffold under the left cop and bent it up, flinging him over to the other cop and making both fall.

They couldn’t continue on this scaffold, so Bender stretched across and made a bridge to the second one. His friends crossed as Bender pulled over, and the group had to Wall Jump off a left vertical beam to reach the higher walkway. As they walked around, Nebula tossed N.I.N.S.T.A.R.s to knock down Lego Cops ahead. They reached a row of G.R.A.P.P.L.U.H. targets that Nebula swung across to grab a Laser Wisp in its capsule. “LASER!” She zapped to the first Cyan Diamond and ricocheted all around the park before bursting through a huge, brick Lego wall. They had a view of the city ahead as Bender hurried over to them, panting. “Man, what kinda little girl are you?”

“With great responsibility comes great power.” She remarked.

As they hurried to the city, another swarm of cop cars swerved in their path as cops jumped out. They shot small guns, but Bender twisted some of their heads backwards, so when they turned to face the main group, they fired in the opposite direction, shooting their allies. Nebula tossed N.I.N.S.T.A.R.s to knock them around while Vweeb climbed on them to shoot the parts where their limbs connected, making the Legos fall apart.

They made it to the vibrant Lego City, where the first road was blocked by construction, so they took a stairway along a left building to reach an outdoor café. Across the next street was a Gravity Space on the side of the parallel building, so Nebula channeled her energy to jump over. “Who-o-o-o-o-oa!” Bender moaned as he floated over as well, being close to Nebula. “Careful where you do that, I might drop my wallets!”

They walked up and landed on the building’s outer walkway, where a squad of Groove Guys, Shy Guys in dancer uniforms, flew up and started twirling. A group of Medi Guys, Shy Guys in floating heart-pods with a needle at the bottom, floated above them. The Groove Guys swiftly dodged Nebula’s S.H.O.O.T.E.R., spinning to and whacking her as she became dizzy as a result. They tried to hit Bender, but he jumped and began to tap-dance on some of their heads, eventually knocking them down. “Tap-dancing was my 10th hobby! And I dance on all my rivals’ graves! Which results in the friction restarting their hearts and bringing them back to life, so…”

The Medi Guys knocked Bender away and stuck their needles in the Groove Guys, healing them. “They won’t need your tap-dancing for that.” Nebula stated. “Take out those flying ones.”

“No one steals Bender’s biz!” With that, the robot stretched to grab a floating pod and swing it into the others. He then used the Medi Guy as a bowling ball to knock the Groove Guys over, leaving Nebula to toss grenades and blast them away. The three went up some stairs, reaching a dead end, but another Grav-Path stretched buildings on the right side of the street. Bender stood close to Nebula so she could make them all float onto the path.

Some parts of the path listed left and right, so they had to cross carefully and not slip off. The path made a lot of zigzaggy turns, but Fly Guys were swooping across to try and push them off. They were able to evade the Shy Guys and drop onto a higher walkway. The Fly Guys still tried to push them, but Bender simply grabbed their propellers, bent them upward, and caused them to plummet. They reached a balcony where more Lego Cops came up, and floating over the ledge was a Legocopter. Nebula tossed grenades at the helicopter while Bender grabbed the cops and chucked them at the propeller.

It took a few more grenades until the Legocopter fell to pieces, and Bender tossed the last of the cops over the edge. There were Lego hovercars flying by, and in-between their routes were Space Lights, which Nebula formed into blocks. They jumped the blocks and had to ride the cars over a short distance to reach other Space Blocks, before finally jumping off on another building’s walkway. They hurried to the edge of a balcony, where a track of three parallel rails stretched before them, sloping downward. But before they hopped on, there was a 20x40 booth on the left of the balcony.

_“Heya, Slim! Enjoyin’ your time on Legola? Make yourself a couple-a weapons why don’tcha! ‘Course, just know, flabby blocks’ll only get ya so far. Buy the new S.P.O.U.T. and send yer enemies sky-high! The Dibble Dops’ll get a real squirt outta this one! Only 4000 Bolts!”_

Nebula paid the money and acquired a high-tech squirt-gun. 

 

 **Galactic Kids Next Door: S.P.O.U.T.  
S**hoots **P** owerful **O** quatic **U** pping **T** errorizers

 

With their new weapon acquired, Nebula and Bender began to grind across the rails. The rails were broken ahead, but a bunch of Lego carpenters were speedily fixing the rails as the group moved. They had to watch for and jump random gaps the carpenters decided to leave, and had to jump between rails when the carpenters chose to leave big chunks in other rails. They were finally grinding on whole, fixed rails again as the skies became stormy, and they were grinding above the vast Blue Block Sea. (Play “Twilight Falls Fighting” from _Spyro: Dawn of the Dragon_.)

Lego naval ships blasted cannonballs and destroyed chunks of the rails, once again forcing them to jump between. They eventually decided to unleash a massive cannonball that destroyed the rails completely, scattering them into the sea. Nebula and Bender dropped down, but still grinded the rails as they floated along the rising/sinking waves. It became harder to jump since the rails weren’t aimed at each other, and also floated off course, but as they were nearing some floating islands, they slipped and fell into the sea.

Nebula quickly grabbed Vweeb as they resurfaced, and Bender was a little confused by this water. “’ey, if this water’s made of Legos, how’re we still floating?” 

Nebula scooped some water in her hand and studied it. “Even though it’s made of Legos, it’s as liquid as normal water. The structure of this planet is unreal…”

They climbed onto the first island as the naval ships launched Pyro Guys over, Shy Guys made of fire. Bender tried to punch them, but his fists went right through their fire, and they piled on him to overheat his body. Nebula used her S.P.O.U.T. to blast waterballs that exploded into geysers of water, propelling the Pyro Guys upward. The water doused their flames as a result, and they were knocked out. A bunch of buoys with bells emerged from below the water, floating as the group used them as platforms to cross to other islands.

Lego Pirates jumped out from below the sea, wielding swords as they tossed them like boomerangs. Bender grabbed a sword and bent it like a boomerang before he threw it to bounce around their heads. Nebula fired her S.P.O.U.T. and sprung the pirates upwards, leaving them vulnerable so she could toss N.I.N.S.T.A.R.s and defeat them. More buoys emerged across the sea, but as they began to jump across, naval ships blasted cannonballs to destroy the ringing platforms. The bells signified the emerging buoys, and many bells could be heard, as even larger buoys emerged off their path. One of those larger buoys had a flag with a Bender Marking, so Nebula quickly snapped its picture before jumping ahead. _“Hehehehehehe!”_

At the end of the line of buoys, Nebula grabbed a capsule containing a Crimson Wisp that looked like an eagle. As it flew inside her, she was a little surprised. “I’ve never seen this kind of Wisp before…”

“I’ve never seen anyone look great as me: Bender!”

“Well, can you try it out NOW??” Vweeb yelled as the cannonballs were drawing closer.

“No time like the present. EAGLE!” In a flash, Nebula turned into a Crimson Eagle, which Bender and Vweeb rode upon as they soared across the sea. More naval ships fired at them, creating large geysers as they splashed in the water. They navigated around the geysers, but Sky Guys (Shy Guys on balloons) floated out from behind and blasted shotguns at them. Nebula dodged the guns and sliced their balloons with her eagle wings, letting them plummet to the sea.

The Color Power began to wear off as they were flying to a Lego pirate ship. Nebula floated down onto its deck as she reverted to normal. “Hooo… Man, if I wanna find a good workout coach, I WON’T go to you kids!” Bender remarked as he blew a smoke.

“We’ve been getting more than our share of exercise ourselves.” Nebula said.

“OHO! Avast ye, scurvy dogs!” yelled some Lego Pirates as they approached with swords raised.

“Man, don’t these guys have anything better to- Ow!” Bender was hit by a pirate’s sword from behind, causing the Piece of Resistance to fall from his compartment.

“OHH?” The pirates stared in shock.

“Well, what be this, now?” The pirates stepped aside as their captain approached: a tall, muscular Legoan made up of many pieces, like a treasure chest for his chest, cannons on his left arm, Lego shark on his right arm, and a metal beard.

“Whoa. ’See I’m not the only one who just got back from the scrap heap.” Bender remarked.

“Arrr, pray tell, what business have ye with that particular trinket?” He pointed at the rectangular block.

“What business have ye in questioning our business… of owning things??” Vweeb shot back.

“Who are you?” Nebula asked simply.

“Arrrr. I be Captain Metalbeard. Scurviest pirate ever ta sail the Seven Seas. From the Blue Block Sea, the Red Block Sea… they also got a Magenta Block Sea now. Do not be mistaken, for I once had a body of my own, one that conquered the high seas. But alas, it were taken from me by Lord Business, and Ay was forced to make a new body from scratch. And now, he be makin’ his new weapon, and we pirates will be helpless before him. But soft, with that sacred piece, our freedom shall prevail!”

“What’s this weapon?”

“Arrr, it be a dreaded device called the Kragle. One of many ancient weapons deep within the Ancient Underground. It contain a mighty substance that stick our feet to the ground ferever, and nothing drenched in its sticky figure are likely to move again. We had always believed the Piece o’ Resistance, the one gem that could stop it, was lost to the universe. How do you kids be havin’ it?”

“We… don’t really know ourselves.” Nebula answered. “But we would like to stop this weapon if he’s threatening people with it. Where does Lord Business live?”

“Arrr. He dwell on the infinity-ith floor of his Octan Tower, which rest on an island in the middle of the Blue Block Sea. Ay will sail ye there… but be warned. His tower be treacherous, with many floors of fear. There be lasers. Sharks. Laser-SHARKS. Laser-sharks with chainsaws. And a chainsaw who’s trained a little pet shark named LASSIE.”

“Aaaaahhhhhhh!” Vweeb screamed in fright.

“We’ll have to take our chances.” Nebula stated. “We think Lord Business has something of ours, too. Just sail us to the island and we’ll take it from there.”

“Vary well. It be your funeral, Lassie. Oh, but I have a warning for ye: when the Piece of Resistance seals the Kragle, an explosion may erupt. Be careful when the time comes…”

The crew sailed to the stormiest part of the sea, where a building of immeasurable height stretched miles above dark, spiraling clouds. “…WELL-P, see you kids when you get back.” Bender stated. “I don’t do stairs.”

“Hey, your legs are good and flexible! I’m the little guy here!” Vweeb yelled.

“Hard to believe we didn’t see that from the atmosphere.” Nebula said.

“Arrr, that tower may take many a year to trek.” Metalbeard said. “Ayyy… but I am sure you’ll make it. And we’ll be supporting ya!” Before they realized, the three heroes were on the island, and the pirates were miles away across the sea. “From over here!”

“YOU GUYS ARE A BUNCH OF COWARDS!” Neb and Vweeb screamed. (Play “Big Bullet Brigade” from _Mario 3-D World_!)

_Act 2: Octan Tower_

There were soldiers marching within the lobby, and a Legoan working the reception desk. When they spotted the trio coming, they directed against them, and the receptionist whipped out his own missile-launcher. Bender whipped his arms over to bend their shotguns and Nebula tossed N.I.N.S.T.A.R.s to slice the components of the missile gun. Vweeb’s Stun ray had no effect against the toy people, but his normal ray gun could burn their legs and make them stumble. When the enemies were dealt with in this area, Bender reached under the reception desk and found an elevator key. They used it to open the elevator at the end of the passage, traveling up the next floor.

This floor had a pool of water, and indeed, sharks with chainsaws swam around. The sharks wasted no time in destroying the bridge leading to the passage in the corner, letting Lego pieces float around the surface. When sharks peeped up and looked for prey, Bender stretched his arms and punched them, knocking them out long enough for Vweeb to jump across the small Legos. He made it to a tiny opening in the opposite wall, going inside to pull the switch. The others noticed the openings where the sharks came out sealed, and Grav Spaces appeared on them. Bender stretched an arm to Vweeb’s area to let him get on his hand and bring him over.

Nebula used her bending to make the group float onto the individual Grav Spaces, aiming their position carefully since they were touching the water. They moved Gravity Spaces quickly before the sharks could bite them. The spaces were on higher points when they got to the narrow passage. Sharks were still jumping up and slashing chainsaws, so they had to jump spaces quickly. The passage turned left and became more narrow, where red lasers skimmed either left-and-right or up-and-down. Nebula floated them to Grav Spaces, timing their jumps so they can avoid the close lasers, then landing them on the foothold at the end.

They rode up another elevator, stopping at a floor of spikes. Shy Guys on stilts (Stilt Guys) walked around and shot slingshots at them, but Nebula used Bender as a shield. “Can your feet survive spikes?” Nebula asked.

“Sure, what’s your point?” Bender asked.

“Your new hobby is stilts!” Nebula hopped over Bender’s “shoulders.”

“Aliope!” Bender stretched his legs higher and began to wobble across the spiked floor. On Nebula’s shoulder, Vweeb countered the Shy Guys with his Stun gun, and once the enemies were dealt with, Bender stepped onto one of the slightly higher spiked floors. A spiked platform lowered down in the middle of the room, and Bender was able to extend a leg over, step on it, then the other leg flew over, resulting in a sudden spin as the kids almost lost balance. They patiently rode the platform upward, and Bender stepped over on a walkway going up the wall.

The robot stepped up a winding staircase and was forced to jump barrels that a Shy Guy was throwing down. The Shy Guy was standing on a flat floor at the top, so Bender happily kicked him off before letting his friends climb off and rest. “Sigh… Oh, beer!” He found a bottle laying on the floor and decided to drink, refueling himself. “Okay, let’s go!” Nebula climbed on as Bender stretched his legs and stepped onto a circular spiked platform. This platform threatened to flip over before its descent down, so Bender quickly stepped on the next one. From there, he stepped onto the path through a spike-floored hallway, where horizontal lasers flew down from the opposite end.

Bender stepped over the low lasers, but had to bend back and dodged the higher ones, with Neb and Vweeb barely holding onto him. He thankfully made it to the safe floor at the end, where they got into an elevator. The next floor had a pit of Lego lava, with a walkway leading up and around the room. Fly Guys were sweeping large brooms over areas, so the kids took care to avoid them on their ascent. However, they heard a bubbling sound, and the lava began to rise. They rushed up this winding walkway, and were safe from the Fly Guys on a stable floor.

Nebula launched a G.R.A.P.P.L.U.H. target to pull herself up to a higher ledge, followed by Bender, then she floated them onto a winding Grav Path that led higher. Pieces of the wall with the Grav Path fell off, so Nebula had to float them over the gaps. There was a dead end at the top of this Grav Path, but Nebula saw Space Lights and formed blocks over them. Her group quickly began to jump up these blocks, but the rest were too high to reach. Nebula saw Grav Spaces on them and floated her friends up, making the moves quickly as the lava’s speed was increasing. When the rising suddenly increased 10-fold, Bender grabbed Nebula, reached up to a platform up top, and pulled them all up, inches away from the lava before it stopped on said platform.

“PHEW!” Nebula huffed. “I’m glad we let you join!”

“I’LL say!” Vweeb exclaimed, his tiny heart racing.

“Oh, friends, don’t praise me.” Bender said humbly. “Just pay me.”

“Maybe later.” Neb said. With that, they entered the elevator and proceeded upwards.

“This tower can’t REALLY be infinity floors high, can it?” Vweeb asked.

“It has to have SOME kind of limit.” Nebula replied. “We’ll just have to go as high as we can.”

Right as the elevator stopped and opened, a swarm of Lego Troopers had them surrounded, aiming weapons as the trio put their hands up (but Vweeb immediately took cover in Nebula’s shirt). “FREEZE.” Bad Cop ordered. “This is as high as you go. We’re taking you… UP town. …Okay, then THAT’LL be as high as you go.”

“Well, we’re boned…” Bender distinctly knew. (End song.)

**Octan Tower; hangar**

Sector DR and a squad of Shy Guys boarded a large ship made of Legos (what else do they make things with) as Lord Business watched them. “There you go, a ship packed with all the essentials. Cloaking device, X-ray scanners, missiles, etc.. Good luck looking for this employee. And remember our deal.”

“Yeah yeah, we’ll do something ’bout this Tachyon guy.” Doflamingo replied simply as the ship began to lift off. As they left the atmosphere, Doflamingo was kicked back in his captain’s seat with a smooth smile. “I dun’ care about this Tachyon guy. But if he gets in our way of rescuing Caesar, I may consider it.”

After Sector DR left, Bad Cop came in. “Sir: We’ve just captured a girl and a robot trying to break in to the tower.”

“Ahhh, this day gets better and better…” Business said as he walked up to his lab.

Nebula and Bender were handcuffed as Lord Business and his henchman walked into the lab. The Corporate President approached and curiously opened Bender’s compartment, finding the Piece of Resistance. “Uhhh… that isn’t mine, I’m holding it for a friend.” The robot said.

“Well, well…” Business began, “I heard rumors that a little Zathurian child was flying around space, doing who-knows-what… Looking for the Dimensional Fragment, I assume?”

“Do you know where it is??” Nebula questioned.

“Know where it is?! It’s the crown jewel of my success! Thanks to the energy from that fragment, Legola will enter a golden age of still, perfect order!”

“What are you talking about?”

“Allow me to explain: see, Legola is divided into many different regions of many different Lego-made citizens, and in those regions, the Master Builders have all kinds of different styles of building. Even in the capital Lego City, carpenters used to build buildings in impossible shapes. But everywhere you look, structures were taken apart to build _new_ structures, and then THOSE were taken apart, and the people of Legola built and shaped things with seemingly NO sense of direction or thinking. _That_ … was before _I_ came along.

“I believed in a nice and orderly utopia where work flows smoothly and never strays from the main path. After I took over as President, I created a set, perfect schedule for the carpenters of the capital to follow. The other regions refused to accept my rule, so I blocked all access to them. But I still couldn’t just let them roam and do whatever. I wanted to show my order and perfection to _all_ parts of the universe. I created a franchise of Legos that adults could use to make blueprints for their own little experiments in the glorious field that is business. But instead, they chose to allow their snot-nosed little kids to play with them and whip up whatever silly ideas they had in their heads! The chaos only continued!

“And I couldn’t send complete, fixed sets to customers without them falling apart on the way! No matter what, they were bound to fall apart! That’s why… I sought the Kragle. Among many ancient treasures left by the Giants of Legola, the Kragle possesses significant power. The power to glue items or people and stick them perfectly in place! But after many experiments, its power didn’t live up to expectations. It seems age took its toll on it as well. So… I sought the legendary Dimensional Fragment hidden near the planet’s core. The fragment possesses incredible power and manipulation of gravity. By mixing its gravity powers with the supreme stickability of the glue, my Legos will never fall apart! I’ll glue the citizens of Legola in the perfect positions, and my planet will be the most orderly of Galaxia! Kids will never be able to rearrange my products again, and businessmen everywhere can safely use them for their intended purpose!”

“That has to be the dumbest plan I ever heard!” Nebula yelled. “Legola is renowned for its imaginative citizens inspiring creativity all across the universe! Heck, legends say that even psychicbenders developed their powers by hearing of this planet. It was never meant to be an ‘orderly’ planet. It was always supposed to be shaped and sized every which way, because people get new ideas every day!”

“Please, nobody cares about ‘new’ and creative ideas. A planet can never survive without orderly utopias! I mean, no one gave a _damn_ about _my_ ideas, MY creativity. That’s because, in a world of business, the only things that matter are money and order. And if the people of this planet continue with this chaos, Legola will ultimately fall to pieces! So, it is up to me… to SAVE this planet! Throw them into the vortex, Bad Cop. I’m getting ready for liftoff!” With that, the villain climbed onto his giant mech-legs and stomped away.

As soon as he was gone, Bad Cop quickly went over to uncuff Nebula and Bender. “There, now you’re a spacebender, right? Just jump off and float safely onto a lower ledge of the building.” He whispered. “And your bending robot can just stretch to grab one.”

“What’m I, chopped memory cards??” Bender asked offended.

“Huh? Why’re you helping us?” Nebula asked.

“Look, I signed up with Business ‘cause my family needed the extra money, but he tested his Kragle on my parents and froze them solid. I kept working for him to find a way to shut it down. With you guys’ help, I might finally have a chance. Just get back down to Metalbeard and he’ll help you further; we’re sort of in league.”

_“Readying detachment. In 3… 2… 1…”_

“It’s lifting off, hurry!” the cop yelled. Looking slightly hesitant, the three heroes ran and jumped toward the spiraling chasm. They saw a walkway partway down the tower, so Nebula quickly floated over while Bender stretched and grabbed it. Once safely on ground, the three looked up and watched as the top chunk of the tower detached itself from the building, taking off in the form of a block-shaped ship.

“That thing can fly??” Vweeb exclaimed.

“If it’s made by Legoans, it can.” Neb said. “Let’s find an elevator and get down fast.”

**Bottom of the tower**

Metalbeard’s ship sailed by again as the three were dashing out of the tower’s entrance. They quickly boarded the Lego-made vessel and began to sail after the aircraft. “Arrrr, we saw yonder tower come loose and feared ye were too late, aye?”

“Not exactly.” Nebula replied. “But he took the Piece of Resistance, we have to go after them!”

“He likely be headin’ to the town! He’ll cross them one by one, until every region in Lego Land be still statues. Let us lose no waves, and shove off!”

**Lego City**

The block-shaped ship was soon hovering over the vibrant city as the Kragle, attached to its machine, emerged from the bottom of the vessel. “HA ha ha ha ha ha ha! Behold the _Just Business_! The ship that will be the end of all chaos! FIRE!”

The citizens cowered and screamed as the Kragle began firing everywhere, gluing citizens perfectly in place. “Ehhh… the ‘ _Just Business_ ’?” Bad Cop questioned.

“Yes. ‘Just’ as in ‘justice.’ As in, my business as of this moment… is delivering justice!” Business explained with a smile. “Pretty cool, right?”

“Eh… not really.”

“Hmph. Well, then who needs you.” Business frowned and looked away. As the man focused his sights on the citizens, Bad Cop stared hopefully out the window.

The Lego Pirates were finally approaching the city from the shore, watching the havoc caused by the Kragle. “How’re we supposed to get up there, anyway?” Vweeb asked.

Nebula noticed the Grav-Path leading up one of the buildings. “Hold on tight, guys.”

“Ehhh- eh-yayayayayaya!” Bender flailed his arms as Nebula made them float onto the building’s side, making them stand sideways.

 _“Good on ya, lads! And bring peace to Legola… while we wait over here!”_ Metalbeard and his crew were miles across the ocean again.

“YOU GUYS DON’T HELP US MUCH AT ALL!” Neb and Vweeb yelled. (Play “Heavy Metal Mecha-Bowser” from _Mario Galaxy_.)

 

_Boss fight: Just Business_

Nebula and Bender hurried up the Gravity Path as huge Lego pieces dropped down, threatening to push them off. Fly Guys also floated up and blew fireballs, but Nebula tossed a N.I.N.S.T.A.R. to chop off their propellers. They had to navigate the usual zigzaggy paths and sliding platforms before reaching the skyscraper rooftops. They began to jump the rooftops while Lego Troopers dropped down and fired guns, and even though the bullets were simple little blocks, they hurt like regular bullets.

Bender grabbed and bent their guns back to make them shoot their selves while Nebula used the S.P.O.U.T. and propelled them upward. The next building was farther across the street, and too high to jump to, so Bender stretched and made a bridge for them to cross up. Spy Guys, Shy Guys dressed in camouflage uniform, dropped down and charged at them with hammers. Vweeb jumped in their faces to blast their mask-eyes so Nebula could hit with the S.H.O.O.T.E.R.. When one tried to swing its hammer at Bender, the robot grabbed and threw him into a nearby crate, breaking it as a Crimson Wisp came out.

“EAGLE!” Nebula absorbed the power and began to fly after the _Just Business_ with Vweeb and Bender on her back. The huge block ship blasted Lego energy beams that the trio had to dodge, along with Sky Guys wielding guns. They were only minor obstacles, and the three managed to reach the bottom where the Kragle was firing. Once they were by it, Bender began to bend the small pink cords that flowed the fragment’s energy into the Kragle, causing the energy to spew out. The cords were strong, so it took a few seconds for him to bend. He was able to break 3 of the 9 cords before the Color Power wore off.

The three fell to a street below, with Nebula softening her landing by floating, leaving Bender to fall with a thud. “Ow.” More Spy Guys dropped down, wielding slingshots with bombs this time, but the group decided to bypass them and head up a left stairway onto another outdoor café. Several Space Lights floated on the building’s side, so Nebula conjured moving Space Blocks on all of them. The first one simply moved left-and-right, and the next two parallel ones required Nebula and Bender to Wall Jump as they floated upward. At the top, they jumped to a block spinning vertically, then to another left-and-right block.

The next set of Space Blocks floated over the street, and required Nebula to float her friends onto their Grav-Spaces. The platforms turned, so it was all a matter of waiting for the Grav-Spaces to appear so they could jump. The last block had another Crimson Eagle, so Nebula absorbed and began flying to the Lego ship. The _Just Business_ fired more energy beams, but it also launched glue blasts from the Kragle. Sky Guys also flew in their way, but Nebula simply flew in front of them so the Kragle would blast them instead, making them fall.

They were once again under the superweapon so Bender could bend its energy cords, leaving only 3 left before the Color Power wore off. The three hurried in an alley between two buildings that were starting to fall, quickly Wall Jumping up them to reach the roofs, only to find the buildings were now half as tall as others. They climbed the rugged side of this next building, having to quickly as the wall was already beginning to collapse.

They reached the top of the building and discovered a capsule holding a Cyan Laser Wisp. There was a set of Cyan Diamonds floating over the street, and the _Just Business_ was about to pass over the last one in the set. Nebula broke the Wisp free and absorbed the power, holding onto her two friends as they became a cyan laser. “LASER!!” As fast as lightning, the three zipped around the diamonds as a laser, with the last diamond shooting them directly at the Kragle and piercing through the bottom.

“AAAAAHH!” Lord Business happened to be in their line of fire, and was blown to the top of the ship with the three heroes. As Neb, Vweeb, and Bender landed, they watched as Lord Business got up on his huge metal legs. “Grrrrr!” He then caught the Kragle when it fell back down, still attached to the Dimensional Fragment as energy still flowed to the glue. “Kids can never be trusted to leave Legos where they are! Or die in a swirling vortex. It’s time for you to STOP!”

 

_Boss fight: Lord Business_

The group dodged as Business blasted the Krazy Glue, running separate directions as Nebula tossed N.I.N.S.T.A.R.s at the businessman. He took the hits before stomping to Nebula and attempting to jump and smash her, but she dodged and ran before Bender stretched over to grab Business’s front. He was several feet away as he flung himself like a slingshot, but Business quickly kicked upward and sent him flying. Nebula fired the S.P.O.U.T., but the water geysers had no effect on Business’s strong legs.

Nebula tossed more N.I.N.S.T.A.R.s as Business chased, but the man shot the shurikens with his Kragle and made them fall. Nebula ran around the field as the businessman chased, not noticing as Bender was running behind him. The robot stretched, grabbed his mech-legs, and launched himself again. Business growled and kicked backward to send Bender flying again, but the robot held onto the mech-legs and bent them back, causing Business to fall. Nebula hurried over and laid punches against the man, but Business jumped back up and kicked her away.

He stomped toward her again and fired the Kragle, but Nebula dodged and blasted more water geysers in his path with the S.P.O.U.T.. He merely chuckled at this, but Nebula also tossed grenades for the geysers to push up, making them explode on Business and push him backward. Vweeb Wall Jumped between the giant legs, up to Business’s head before shooting his left eye. As he tried to recover, Bender stretched, grabbed him by the front, and flung overhead as he threw the businessman forward.

Lord Business got up and jumped to one end of the field, doing the splits and sliding across while his legs stretched all the way across. The three easily jumped this attack, but Business came back to do it again. When Bender jumped it, he grabbed both legs and bent them back, lifting the businessman and slamming him around the field. The mech-legs retracted to normal as Bender tossed him away. Nebula saw the Piece of Resistance fly away from his possession.

She quickly ran to grab the piece as Business landed with a thud, looking up and exchanging a glare with Nebula. He flipped back to his mech-feet again and quickly blasted glue at Nebula, the girl dodging and jumping to stand on the front of his legs with her gravity powers. She ran up the legs, jumped high above his head, and forcefully brought her foot upon his face. With a dizzied expression, the businessman toppled back and landed with a thud. His hand barely clutched the Kragle. (End song.)

Nebula approached the Kragle calmly, ready to cap the Piece of Resistance over its hole. But Lord Business quickly regained consciousness, snatching the Piece and jumping back to his mech-legs. “Kids just DON’T know when ta quit.”

“Gnnnn!...” Nebula growled.

“HWAH hahahahaha!” Lord Business turned as Mom floated overhead on her small ship. “I can say the same about YOU, Business! Always trying, ever since you were a rookie in the business field! Even making you an honorary member didn’t SHUT you up.”

“I was given that position because of my potential!” Business yelled. “I’m as well-respected as either of you!”

“OH please. You wanna know why we gave you such a crappy title?? For your RESOURCES. This planet has the best construction of ANY in the universe, and your sole purpose was to provide us with the perfect pieces we can use for our OWN inventions. Even though the parts you provided were useful… you were SO annoying. You and your little ‘inventive’ ideas for products our company could make. You’re nothing but a wannabe fan-snot in charge of a silly little planet of happy-singy little RODENTS! That’s why you’ll never be fully accepted as one of our own! Now HURRY up and freeze Nebula so we can haul her ass to Zordoom!”

“Hold on!” Nebula yelled back. “You have no right bashing on someone’s creativity! I don’t know what his ideas were, or even if they were great… but he probably just wanted to help you!”

“Pfft, like I need some whiny FANboy’s help. A businessman’s only as good as the resources he has to offer, anything else he has can SCREW it. And what he can offer me NOW, is YOU frozen like a statue! Now GET ON WITH IT!”

“Business…” The man faced Nebula again. “It doesn’t matter if no one else wants your ideas. They’re YOURS to do something with.”

“Are you gonna listen to a whiny child’s simple rambunctions,” Mom asked, “or are you gonna listen to the REAL higher-up?”

“She may be higher up than you, but she has no respect for you. She’s… well, she’s a bad guy. Do you wanna be a bad guy, too?”

Business stared intently at the Kragle and Piece of Resistance, looking back and forth between them. With no hesitation, he slammed the Piece of Resistance over the Kragle and snapped it shut. “WHAT ARE YOU DOING, you bastard?!” Mom screamed.

“All I wanted was to be like you! To show you what I can bring! But now… I want NO business with you, ANY more!” He threw the Kragle down.

“Ugh! In the end, you’re as WHINY as all these kids! You haven’t seen the last of me, BASTARDS!” And her ship flew away.

“Man, to be able to yell that much at that age and still keep her lungs.” Vweeb said.

Business looked down and raised a brow when the Kragle began to shake. “Uhhhh, guys? Why’s it doing that?”

“Oh. Well, Metalbeard said that it… might blow up.” Nebula replied.

“Oh. BLOW UP?!”

In a flash, the _Just Business_ erupted in flames as the four were blown sky-high. “WAAAAAHHHH!” As they fell to the ground, Nebula used her power to float her and Vweeb, while Bender hit the ground on his back. An airbag popped out of his compartment as a result, letting Business land safely. As Nebula landed lightly on her feet, the Dimensional Fragment fell down as well. She smiled as she caught it.

**Later…**

The Lego Troopers were pulling citizens from their sticky positions, and reconstruction of the town began. “I am… truly sorry for all that has happened here.” Business said to the three heroes. “For a long time, I have admired the Corporate Presidents’ success and wanted to follow in their footsteps. But maybe… that was never a position for me.”

“Maybe not.” Nebula replied. “The sad truth is… the Corporate Presidents have no friendly feelings for each other. Just like Mom said, their only interest in each other is the resources they have to offer. If organizations were based more on friendship…” she smiled at Vweeb, “the universe would be a better place.”

“Man, enough with the CHEESY crap.” Bender retorted. “Wait… are our actors being paid by 4KIDS?? Man, I HATE those guys!”

“They’re not THAT bad.” Vweeb replied.

“Anyway… I have no need for that fragment anymore.” Business said. “It’s all yours. As for me… it’s time for me to begin anew, and restore this planet to the way it’s supposed to be: all regions thinking of and creating new ideas.”

“That’s a good idea right there.” Nebula smirked.

“Oh, I didn’t expect THAT line.” Bender remarked. “I’m gettin’ bored of this place already.”

“But you have to admit, it’s a nice place.” Nebula said. “I wonder… how was Legola created, anyway?”

“Nobody knows for sure.” Business replied. “But the legends say that Legola was created by Giants. Giants who shaped Legola to its very core, using all the tiny blocks they could acquire. And all our actions, every event that happens, all our _movements_ , is due to the will of the Giants. And even so… we have no idea they exist.”

“Wow… invisible Giants that control your every movement.” Bender said, slightly amazed. “Like big robots controlling little humans.”

“I wonder if… _our_ lives are run by Giants, too.” When Nebula spoke this, they all looked curiously at the camera.

“But anyway, thanks for giving us the fragment.” Vweeb smiled. “Now we can get on with the next leg of our journey!”

“Right!” Nebula nodded with a confident smile. “It’s time to find the next fragment! We’ll see you later, Business!” she yelled as they ran off.

“Take care!” Vweeb cheered.

 _“And thanks for the WALLLLEEEET!”_ Bender cried in the distance.

“Heheheh…” Business actually liked those kids. “…H-HEY! MY WALLET!” He began to chase them.

 

**Siiiigh… man, am I beat. So yeah, you can tell not much effort goes into these stages compared to _MASKED_. Now that I think of it, I could make it like _MASKED_ and turn these structures, like Octan Tower and Hancock’s Temple into full-fledge dungeons… but NO. I wasted WAY too much time on _MASKED_ to make it good as it is, I have no intention of doing it again. I mean, _MASKED_ is a once-in-a-blue-moon story, and that’s why it’s one of the best. Anyway… next time the adventure will continue, maybe see what’s up with Sector V. I’ll see you later. Good night.**


	13. That’s Just Dandy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sector V are captured inside the Sargasso Station.

**‘lo guys, welcome back. Here, we’re gonna get a new spacebending power… and we endure the tragic loss of some favorite characters.**

****

**_

Chapter 12: That’s Just Dandy

_**

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**Sector V’s captured Drophyd ship**

Sector V dropped Makava off on Planet Glomour, and the ship was nearly empty except for them by the time they left the planet. “Boy, I didn’t think Glomour was so dark!” Haruka beamed. “So pretty! I hope we go back some time!”

“Bleh. If there ain’t sun, there ain’t soul.” Sheila said. “No wonder they’re all so white.”

“Heh, ’guess it’s why Makava’s so yellow, hanging out on a beach planet.” Dillon laughed. “Wonder if she’ll develop the pale now.”

“That should be the last of the aliens we brought.” Aurora said. “How are we on that?”

“Ummm, one last stop to make.” Chris reminded as the Kateenian kids had his hands and legs tied behind him.

“Heheheh. Well, Kateenia is relatively close, so we’ll drop ‘em off quick.”

“Um, I wasn’t thinking Kateenia. I was thinking Secco Fried Kateenian.”

“GRRRRRRR!!!” The tiny aliens were enraged.

“Better watch it or they’re having Kateenia Fried Human.” Aurora smirked. “I just hope they’ll all be safe from the Drophyd Army. But I guess now I’ll just finish this sentence uninterrupt-” But as always, no sentence can go uninterrupted without a random laser blasting their ship.

“Either we’re on the wrong side of the road, or Tachyon’s guys finally caught up with us.” Dillon figured.

 _“Whoa there, kiddies. Do you brats have your licenses yet?”_ called a smooth voice from a big, yellow ship a few meters away.

“Well, who are YOU, the driving instructor??” Haylee shot back.

“Come on, Hayls.” Harry said disappointedly.

 _“Young but feisty, I can already see you turning into a fine woman. But right now, you’re still kids. And kids have to take their nappies. So may your young minds become senseless when you gander the unspeakable awesomeness of:”_ (Play the Opening to _Space Dandy_.) The slim, mid-20s man combed his pompadour and clutched his controls tight, his gorgeous eyes fixed on the Drophyd ship. “Space Dandy.”

_

Legendary rookie alien hunter  
SPACE DANDY

_

“ _Space_ Dandy?” Mason questioned.

“Are you a bounty hunter?” Aurora asked.

“Not just any bounty hunter, Baby. Ah’m the greatest. I comb every corner of the galaxy, in search for rare aliens. I’m only a bounty hunter in my downtime.”

“Oi, git a load o’ this bloke with the worm-hair!” Sheila retorted.

“DON’T insult the ‘do, okay??” he yelled defensively. “Anyway, the other bounty hunters are busy so they wanted ME to come and bring you kids to their hangout. ‘Course, I passed a ship of supermodels on my way, so I lost sight of the Drophyds I was supposed to follow…”

“I thought it was weird we only had to fight a few Drophyds on our way.” Aurora said.

“Okay, so we can either do this the easy way or the hard way. I much prefer the _easy_ way since I wanna make it to Boobies, but that’s up to you.”

“Hate to break it to ya!” Artie declared as he took the weapons’ seat, “but you’re gonna be LATE!”

“So let’s ASTEROID and fly!” Haylee declared, taking the driver’s seat.

“Haylee, leave ARTIE to the bad jokes.” Harry retorted.

“Heheh! Sorry!” She grinned goofily.

“Okay! Time to _DANDY UP!”_ declared the handsome hunter as he yanked a lever forcefully. A large hatch on his ship popped open, and out came a slightly smaller ship, designed like a car painted red with white flower patterns, like a Hawaiian shirt. _“Little ALOHA, let’s transform!”_ The giant car instantly changed into a large, skinny combat robot.

Haylee made the Drophyd ship swiftly dodge as the _Little Aloha_ launched forward with a punch. Artie quickly blasted the robot, but he took the hits and fired homing missiles. Haylee tried to dodge away, but the missiles locked tight and damaged their vessel. “Ugh! Drophyds have the WORST transportation in the universe!” she yelled.

They flew closer and kept trying to blast the robot, but Dandy was quick to dodge, throwing a kick that sent the kids flying back. “Doesn’t this ship have any better offense mechanisms?!” Aurora asked.

“In retrospect, this is supposed to be a transport ship, not a combat ship!” Artie cried.

“Ugh! Let’s just get outta here!” Haylee decided as she turned and tried to escape.

“SAVE US, Chriiiis!” The Kateenians cried as they were on their knees.

“I HOPE YOU BURN IN THE AIRLESS VACUUM OF SPACE!” Chris screamed.

 _“Oh no you DON’T!”_ Space Dandy exclaimed as his ship’s left arm emerged a huge sword of lightning. He lashed the blade and sliced the tiny Drophyd ship in half, and both halves exploded into flames.

_Sector V did not survive the explosion. Space Dandy was just too incredible for them. Their exciting adventures came to an end. Their noble efforts in protecting kids everywhere will always be remembered, and their legends echo across the stars of space. …But not that much._

**Shooting Star**

Team Nebula left Legola’s atmosphere and were back in space. “Ahhhh nothin’ like Lego Gold.” Bender sighed as he looked at the stacks of golden Legos in his compartment. “Gonna be swimmin’ in dough after this, baby.”

“You sure those aren’t just normal yellow Legos?” Nebula asked.

“Well, the traders don’t have to know that.” He winked.

“Either way, I’m glad Lord Business let us have the Dimensional Piece. Any idea where we should start looking for the next one?”

 _“Nope, not a clue.”_ Pollyx replied. _“But I have picked up signals of another Space Rift, on a planet that’s a little close to where Endor was. It likely wouldn’t hurt to acquire a new power, right?”_

“It certainly wouldn’t.” Nebula agreed. “Send us the coordinates and we’ll be on it.”

“I hope they got a few beers, ‘cause Ah need to reload!” Bender announced.

**Atmosphere of unknown planet**

The Shooting Star arrived at an unknown yellowish planet, which struck Nebula and Vweeb as familiar. “Wait a second… this is the planet we landed on on the way to Endor!” Nebula remembered.

“Really? What’s it like?” Bender asked.

“This swarm of robot bugs almost snacked on us like Tetramites.” Vweeb responded.

“He’s right. We better watch ourselves if we don’t wanna be dinner.”

However, as they took land on an open area and climbed out, there was already something odd about the planet. “Uhhh… was this here before?” Nebula asked. (Play “Cobalia Wilderness” from _Ratchet: Tools of Destruction_.)

The planet was filled with vast, metallic jungles, where robot dinosaurs roamed for miles and miles. “Hot-diggity daffodil! It’s a planet o’ robo dinos!” Bender exclaimed.

“But yesterday, the only life on here were those robot bugs.” Nebula said. “How could all of this be built in one day?”

“If you consider robots ‘life.’” Vweeb noted.

“Hey!” Bender yelled, offended. “For your information, robots evolve just as well as other creatures, except faster!”

“Robots can’t evolve, they don’t have the genes to.” Vweeb argued.

“Oh yeah? Well, how d’you explain this robot fossil I found?” He pulled out a bedspring with googly eyes.

“That’s a bedspring.” Nebula told him.

“It’s a ROBOT fossil!”

“Never mind! Let’s look for the Space Rift and get off this lifeless rock.”

“Still better than YOUR rocks!”

“Ugh! Let’s just go!”

 

_Stage 13: Mecha Jungle_

_Mission: Locate the Space Rift and acquire a new power._

_Act 1_

The team of three began the journey into the metal jungle, first arriving at a small pond of robotic plesiosaurs. They simply had to jump across them to climb onto a ledge on the other side, but when they reached a wide path, a robotic T-rex roared as it burst through the trees. It charged and grabbed Bender in its teeth, shaking him around as the robot screamed. It tossed Bender away and focused on Nebula, but Bender got up, reached to grab its head, and tried to bend it back. Nebula took this time to toss grenades at its legs, but it shook Bender away and attempted to chomp the Zathurian, only for her to dodge.

They decided to leave the robo dino and hurried to a wider field, but a group of none other than tricycletops; robot triceratops with three wheels, sped out from the trees. The group dodged as Nebula tossed some grenades, but they still had no effect against the strong dinos. They hurried away again, following a path through the metal jungle and reaching a tall cliff. There weren’t any Grav-Paths or anything, so the group returned to lure in one of the tricycletops, making it speed down the path and ram the wall, which made it dizzy. In its dizzy state, the group climbed on its back and reached the ledge.

They appeared in a wider field with robo pterodactyls flying overhead, carrying boulders. When they flew over the trio, they dropped the boulders, which were easy to dodge, then went to get more. There were several metal patches around the field, so the group got the pterodactyls to drop boulders on them, breaking them open to reveal spike traps, some crates of ammo, but one of the pits contained a strong geyser of water. The water rose as high as the pterodactyls, and still had the boulder on top. When the geyser came down again, the three jumped onto the boulder to get propelled upward, then jumped onto the closest pterodactyl.

The pterodactyl carried them a short distance across the jungle, while baby pterodactyls swooped over to try and nip them. Nebula shot them down with the S.H.O.O.T.E.R. before the pterodactyl eventually dropped them on an open ground. They followed a short path to a small pond where the path continued in an underwater cave. Nebula placed Vweeb in her mouth and held her breath before diving underneath, while Bender was able to walk underwater, breathing just fine. They swam to some bars blocking the cave, which Bender was able to bend and allow them to pass.

They reached a wider cave with some robotic puff-fish, which beeped like mines as they swam to the group and tried to explode. Nebula swam to the next cave ahead, but quickly dodged when a robot seasnake shot out and tried to snack her. She swam to a nearby air bubble for a quick breath before getting a puffbot’s attention, luring it to the cave where the seasnake rested. She dodged the snake and let it snack the puffbot, which exploded and made the snake retreat.

The tunnel ended as they resurfaced before a mountainside cave, dark and empty as they walked in. When they slowly approached a wall, another gaping pink crack presented itself. “Well… there it is.” Nebula figured.

“Yuck!” Vweeb exclaimed as he held her mouth open. “We really gotta talk about this whole underwater-mouth thing.”

“Dry you up later.” Neb stated as she set Vweeb down. “It’s time to get another power back.”

“You guys do that, I’m goin’ ta see if this cave has any buried treasure.” With that, Bender ran to an alternate cave.

“Enjoy yourself.” Neb remarked. “Wish me luck.” After waving Vweeb off, she jumped into the crack.

**Netherverse**

The cave was fairly small, but Nebula had to make her way through a small maze. It was pretty basic, despite the pink crystals popping out of the wall every now and then, but under her feet was a see-through glass with a tinier maze underneath. She reached the maze’s end in a short amount of time, dropping down a short ledge to an enclosed area. The glowing pink sphere floated in the center, and on her left was a strange mirror. She approached the pink sphere and let it absorb into her body.

**Nebula learned the _Space Shrink_! The power to change size is hers to command! With this, she can shrink herself to smaller sizes and be as stealthy as a mouse! However, she needs to be able to face herself to minimize, and when using it on enemies, her chi will be more limited.**

With that, Nebula turned to face the conveniently placed mirror, reflecting her image perfectly. She held her thumbs and indexes in a frame position, fitting her reflection inside. She slowly closed her frame together, but her reflection still fit inside as the area around her grew in size. Of course, it wasn’t the area growing, but her body shrinking, and she stopped at 2 inches tall. “Hoo… never used to that sensation. Okay, let’s get outta here.”

She entered a tiny hole, beginning to make her way up a path beneath the maze’s ledge. _“Grrrrr.”_ She heard that infamous sound and looked to the opposite cave as a Nether came out. (Play “Netherverse Chase” from _Into the Nexus_.) _“GRAGRAHGRAGRAHGRAGRAHGRAGRAH!”_

The Nether was too big to follow her in the tiny pathway, so it split up into a swarm of mini-Nethers to chase her. They split up to take different routes, so Nebula had to decide her path carefully to not run into them. She reached the top of the ledge and began to make her way through the tiny maze, directly under the giant maze. Since this maze was smaller, it was a lot more complex, but she frantically looked for an exit as the Nethers kept after her.

She searched around the east end of the maze, seeing Nethers coming at her from all directions. Her heart raced as she was forced down a single path, but was relieved to see a stairway that led out of a hole. She came out inside the normal-sized maze, seeing a giant (to her) mirror with her reflection. She caught her reflection in a finger-frame and re-expanded her body to normal. The Nether swarm flew out of the mini maze and formed together to make the full Nether. Nebula hurried across the regular maze again to avoid its wrath. It still wasn’t too difficult as she found the exit and jumped out. (End song.)

**Mecha Jungle**

Vweeb watched as Nebula flew out, and the Nether’s head popped out, puffed, and exploded. “What do you do to tick those things off?” Vweeb asked.

“No idea. But hey, I got a new power! Check it out!” She bent down for a close look at Vweeb, catching his form in a finger-frame. She closed the frame together, and to Vweeb’s surprise, he grew smaller than he already was. “Waaaaah!!! Hey!!”

“Hm hm hm! What, too small is too much?” She reverted him back to normal.

“Well, it was only a matter of time you got a shrinking power, anyway. Let’s hurry and get outta here.”

The two exited the cave, but- “Rooooaaaarr!” a group of robotic dinos had them surrounded, like the T-rex, tricycletops, etc., and all were growling viciously.

“Um, you wanna put that to use now?” Vweeb asked.

“I can’t shrink too many at once.”

However, Vweeb noticed something in the sky. “WHOA! What’s that?!”

The sun sizzled as it unleashed a wavy beam, and when it reached the planet, the mechanical dinosaurs sparkled and fell down immediately. “It’s… a solar flare.” Nebula responded in shock. “All the dinosaurs are dead. Only feeble, mammal-like robots hiding in caves could’ve survived.” At that moment, Bender came hurrying out with an armful of sparkling rocks.

“Well I didn’t find any treasure, but there’s a bunch of cool rocks I bet we can make some money off!”

“Bender, we’re not taking all those with us.”

“But didn’t you just get a shrinking power?” Vweeb asked.

 _“Shhhh…_ Anyway, even if these robots _were_ considered life, they’re dead now. Let’s take off and start looking for the next fragment.” 

**Sargasso Space Station**

Sector V was once again trapped behind a blue barrier in the station’s dungeon. “Why is it that this whole story, we’ve been taken prisoner in these places?” Dillon complained. 

“Yeah. And didn’t we die in that explosion just now?” Haruka asked. 

“I guess it’s a good thing that we didn’t.” Aurora said. “I suppose we should try getting out of here now.”

“I’m already on it.” Vanellope replied as she began to type on her computer. “Thankfully bounty hunters don’t have the greatest budget in security. What’re they doing with their bounties, anyway?”

“Blowing them on beer, guns, and hookers, what else do thugs do with hard-earned allowance?” Haylee asked.

“Aaaand that should do it riiiight… now.” Vanellope confirmed as the cell’s barrier switched off.

_“Warning: Security breach in Sector A-B. Security breach in Sector A-B. Also detecting a mockery in our security budget. Well, we’re activating the spherical energy barrier so you can’t escape. How do you like us now?”_

“Crikey… don’t get so worked up about it, Mate.” Sheila mumbled.

“They just turned on a huge barrier around the station.” Vanellope explained, still studying her computer. “There’re 5 generators we need to shut down.”

“Okay team, split up and look for those generators.” Aurora ordered. “We also need to steal a ship so we can get outta here. And if you can, try and grab some supplies that’ll last us the trip, like food, weapons, anything we might need. Okay, let’s go!” (Play “Sargasso Region” from _Star Fox Assault_.)

 

_Stage 14: Sargasso Station_

_Mission: Find a ship and escape the bounty hunter fortress._

The team hurried out of the prison wing as a swarm of Ruffians already ambushed them in the hall. Aurora and Chris tossed a series of fireballs to push the first line down, while Sheila hovered above and punched a charged Light Sphere to bounce around others’ heads. Vanellope then warped around in her pixel form to confuse them while Kirie Beatles spun around and rapidly smacked them with her fans. Chris spun in a flame torpedo and burst through the swarm before the kids hurried out to the wide open area, where many crates sat and ships were parked.

“We could hog one of these when we’re ready.” Chris said.

“Unless we brought a shrink ray, no way we’re all fitting on one of these.” Aurora stated.

“Crud. I knew I shoulda flew by Emily’s before we left.” Artie huffed.

“Frankly, we need a ship that’s _awesome_ enough for a galactic journey.” Haylee informed. “You guys handle the generators, I’m gonna look for that.”

“Hey, you’re still helping us!” Artie yelled.

“Ugh, fine, ONE generator, then I’m off.”

The kids all split up as Mason, Sheila, and Haruka went up a left slope onto a second-floor walkway. A Ruffian Wheeler; Ruffians in giant mechanical wheels, sped out and blasted them with machineguns. Sheila went over first and punched Light Spheres around the wheel’s front to hit the Ruffian from his exposed side. This eventually caused the Wheeler to spiral out of control and fall over. Another group of Ruffians waited from behind, blasting laser rifles at the kids as Haruka created a smokescreen of purple gas. Mason drank some Purple Flurp and burped Gas Bombs at the Ruffians, knocking them over the edge.

“Were you planning to _share_ those sodas?” Haruka questioned.

“These aren’t for everyone, I use ‘em for battle.” Mason stated.

 _“Hoarder.”_ Sheila mumbled.

They entered a small, narrow corridor where the first generator sat across a chasm with a line of big fans. The signs on the left and right read _Gas-powered Fan Chamber_ , and below them were open, empty pipes. Mason and Haruka shrugged and unleashed gas into the pipes, causing the line of fans to activate. Sheila then hovered across with her propeller tail, using the fans to stay airborne as she reached the generator. “Okay, time to put me mum’s teachin’s to the test!” With that, Sheila dealt several punches against the machine, before spiraling her fist and smashing the generator with a super-punch.

_“Generator B disabled. We better step up our defenses.”_

Kirie, Dillon, and Vanellope entered a narrow, darker corridor where Ruffians hurried down from a left corridor. Kirie swiftly dodged the shots and jumped over to dance on their heads, leaving Dillon to use Shadow Veil and pull two of them underneath. Vanellope glitched over fast as lightning and rapidly kicked the remaining ones, knocking them out as Dillon finished beating his bunch.

They entered a longer hallway where a security camera locked onto them from the other end. Dillon used Shadow Veil to slide across, evading the camera’s vision while Kirie gracefully danced across, the camera failing to shoot her. Just as well, Vanellope simply glitched across and avoided the camera’s shots. When Dillon made it over, he slithered behind the camera and jumped out to yank it off the ceiling. They found the generator in an enclosed area, which Vanellope proceeded to hack. She entered a code ‘Dogs’ to shut the generator down.

_“Generator A disabled. Our security’s looking pretty crappy right now.”_

The Gilligan Triplets snuck into a large room that went up many levels, having several large crates and a generator at the top. The kids snuck under the first ledge toward the staircase, listening to a couple Ruffians talking above. “Hey, did you hear about that new guy workin’ with Star Wolf?”

“Who? Dandy?”

“Yeah, him. Heard the guy’s a madman. He apparently got run out of his own galaxy after blowing up a planet… with HIM on it.”

“Whoa-whoa-whoa! How do you blow up a planet when you’re still on it, and not git turned into a ghost??”

“That’s what I’m sayin’. He’s not normal.”

“That’s probably just some rumor, right?”

“Maybe… but in all honesty, I don’t wanna be around that guy. Heard he’s a freakin’ legend.”

“That’s just his talk.”

“You wanna go mano-to-mano with him?”

“I’m just sayin’, he-” The Ruffian was smacked by Artie’s S.P.L.A.N.K.E.R. from behind, and the boy dodged and smacked the other Ruffian before he could shoot. The Ruffians on other levels got into turrets and began blasting. The triplets made it onto the next level and took out the first turret Ruffian, and Harry took control of the turret to blast other ones while his siblings made it upstairs. There were Ruffian Mechs waiting above, the kids dodging as they launched grenades. Haylee slid over to unbolt their wheels’ screws with her wrench, causing the mechs to fall apart, and when the Ruffians tried to attack the kids their selves, Artie used the S.P.L.A.N.K.E.R. to send them tumbling down the levels. With that, they focused attention on the generator, which Haylee easily disabled by unscrewing all the parts.

_“Generator C disabled. I don’t wanna be the person who takes the blame for all this.”_

Chris and Aurora entered a second-floor room where many female Ruffian Ninjas flipped out, wielding nun-chucks. On the other side was a painting of Aurra Sing, and on the right was one of Aurorra Bane. One wrapped their nun-chuck around Aurora’s leg and flung her overhead, but she regained composure and tossed fireballs around the room. Chris spun in a flame torpedo and sped around the room to knock ninjas over, and when he stopped, he jumped in the air and kicked forceful fireballs from both feet at other ninjas.

Aurora grabbed one’s bo staff and kicked her backward, and she ended up crushed by a rolling barrel from the left. They looked up a slope in a narrow passage, where a Ruffian Mech was throwing barrels down like Donkey Kong. The Uno kids tried to jump the barrels, but ended up smashed and pushed back down. However, Chris noticed the word ‘GAS’ written on the barrels, so when the Ruffian picked up the next one, Chris tossed a flame and exploded it completely.

With that, they hurried up the slope and found a room loaded with gas barrels, as well as the generator. The kids smirked and nodded, setting a small flame before rushing out of there.

From the outside, a mighty explosion erupted from one of the station’s windows. _“Generator D disabled. Talk about overkill.”_

After finishing their generator, Mason, Sheila, and Haruka looked around as they left the room. “Let’s try to find the next one.” Mason said. “Hopefully I can find some drinkables in here.”

“Hoarder!” Haru yelled.

The three split up and searched rooms of another section of the base. Haruka found a room with medical supplies, and figured they could make do with this stuff. Space was deadly, after all.

Sheila wandered into a room filled with wanted posters. She curiously skimmed around, viewing all the criminals’ visages. _Wanted: Cad Bane, for crimes against the Republic. 500,000 Credit. Wanted: Romulus Slag, Captain of the Slag Pirates, for several planetary raids. 700,000 Bolts. Wanted: “Golden-Fist” Marine the Raccoon, for the destruction of several naval battleships. 8,000,000 Earthican currency (respective country)._

Sheila stopped walking and stepped back to view the poster. Her 16-year-old mother looked very spunky, wearing an eyepatch on her right eye, a captain’s hat, and raising a sword with a thumbs-up. Sheila smiled with pride, giving a wink and thumbs-up back. “Arrrr! Good on ya, Mom!”

Mason entered a darker passage, but found a large, open room with a generator on the left. (End song.)

As Mason slowly walked in, a beautiful tune fell in his ears. A calm, peaceful tune that eased the wild aura of this battle-crazy station. In the center of the room was a cloaked, tan-skinned mustachioed man, turned halfway from Mason as he stared at an open music box, his eyes hidden under his hat. “Uhhh… do you work here?” Mason asked confused.

 _“For so long… I longed nothing more than one thing. That one thing… sums up the lives of all bounty hunters. Never would I expect… to find a treasure… more valuable. Never… have I felt the happiness.”_ Mason kept his confused look as the man spoke quietly. _“But alas… that one treasure, that gave me light… grew up in darkness. It looks so innocent… but the darkness swallowed her. It was… inevitable.”_

“…”  Mason cocked a brow.

“Kids do not know the true evil that swallows the world. When I see you and your friends doing such reckless things… I wonder, if you even know a thing.” He faced Mason.

“W-What?”

“Hear this: I am Daddy the Parent. Member of Star Wolf. The others have asked me to guard this station. I will take pleasure… of ending your quest here. As soon as this music box stops… _we draw.”_

Mason glared at him from across the room, and Daddy glared back. Both fighters looked more than eager to clash. They stood still… awaiting the signal. The lovely tune played for 7 more seconds… until it stopped. “Errrr-YAH!” The hunter whipped out two pistols and aimed. (Play “Monkey Blue Face-off” from _Ape Escape 3_!)

 

_Boss fight: Daddy Masterson_

Mason frantically dodged the guns and began running around the room when Daddy began firing. He quickly skidded to a halt when Daddy fired in front, then the Dimalanta boy quickly ducked behind a nearby metal crate. “Huff, huff! Talk about being on the war path! Does this guy ever quit?” 

“You know you can’t hide from me.” Mason looked up as two homing bullets hovered overhead and locked in on him. He jumped out quickly before they shot down, and Daddy began firing at him some more. “BUUURP.” Mason burped a cloud of gas, but Daddy easily brushed it away with his cape. “You’ll need faster attacks than that to take out a sniper!” 

Mason swiftly dodged a few more bullets before ducking behind the crate again. “Well, I’m not a Mobian like Sheila. I can’t MOVE that fast! Hmm, but I should be halfway decent with long-range. ‘kay, Purple Flurp, do your thing!” He whipped out a can of the soda and drank away. With that, he backed against the wall, still behind the crate, and “BUUURP” sent a Gas Bomb through the air, hoping it would strike Daddy. The hunter dodged side, but Mason burped more Gas Bombs in different directions in that facinity, but the hunter still dodged the shots. Mason ran out, seeing the area smoky, and quickly hurried to the hunter’s silhouette to jump and kick against his face.

“Uah!” The gas cleared as Daddy rubbed his chin, still desperately trying to shoot Mason with his guns. The Dimalanta boy dodged around and got behind, lashing a Poison Whip and yanking Daddy by the legs, making him fall forward and drop his guns. Mason quickly kicked them away, but Daddy jumped to his feet before pulling out a machinegun. Mason screamed and ran even faster as Daddy started rapidly firing, not stopping for a second. He back-flipped over the line of bullets and threw a poison blast at Daddy’s face, which he dodged, and in his briefness of ceasefire, Mason dashed behind another crate.

Mason pulled out another Flurp and guzzled it down, sending more Gas Bombs at the mustachioed hunter, but Daddy blasted the bombs midflight and exploded them before they reached. Mason kept burping, but he ran low on gas, so he jumped through the smoke resulted by the bombs, hoping to avoid the machinegun. He made it to Daddy’s side, taking him by surprise as he whipped around, but Mason grabbed the gun as the two aimed it upward. Mason kicked Daddy’s shin and hauled the rifle from him, tossing it aside.

Daddy whipped out a new gun and shot spinning tops with strings attached. They wrapped around Mason before spinning him rapidly, making him dizzy as Daddy ran and kicked him away. He sent more tops, but Mason dove between the strings and sent gas at the hunter, which he dodged and shot more tops. Mason ran behind the hunter and tricked the tops into wrapping around him, allowing the poisonbender to jump and deal two spin-kicks. Daddy fell and flipped back up, unwrapping the ropes and tossing the top-gun away before extracting a missile launcher. He locked onto Mason and fired mini missiles that didn’t stray from their target.

Mason ran all around, but the missiles stayed on him tight, so he frantically ran behind a metal crate to make them crash. Daddy sent more missiles that eventually destroyed the crate, forcing Mason to run around some more and get behind another one. As the missiles destroyed that crate, he took notice of the generator just a few feet away. As soon as this crate was destroyed, Mason dashed and ducked behind the generator, tricking Daddy’s missiles into attacking and destroying.

_“Generator E destroyed. Barrier disabled. Nice going, Genius.”_

“Grrrr!” Daddy growled, glaring at the smoke from the generator’s remains. Mason guzzled down two Purple Flurps at once and flipped out, his back facing Daddy as he unleashed a forceful fart, sending a beam of gas at the hunter that pushed him all the way against the wall. The hunter still got back on his feet, ditching the missile weapon and jumping to a higher floor around the room’s walls.

He pulled out a classic sniper rifle and began shooting Mason from afar, but the Dimalanta still evaded and ducked behind another crate. Daddy was beginning to destroy that crate as Mason caught his breath. “Hokay, he’s a bit out of reach right now… I could try this new move I’ve been working on, but it’s a one-shot. …Oh well, when haven’t those sold well lately?”

Daddy destroyed the crate, creating a cloud of dust that Mason inhaled. He stepped out and, “Aa…aa…AACHOO!” he fired a whipping fast snot bullet that struck Daddy in the stomach. “Guah!” The hunter tumbled forward and fell back onto the field, looking up as Mason dashed over and kicked him forcefully in the stomach. He dropped his gun and coughed before falling over, and Mason saw a small locket fall from his coat. (End song.)

The Dimalanta walked over and picked up the locket gently, hearing the same peaceful tune from earlier. Inside the locket was a picture of a beautiful, and very familiar blonde-haired girl. “Hey… is this-”

“Uuuuug.” Daddy moaned as he helped himself up. “That is no toy, Child! That is my one and only daughter, Carol! The last memory I have of her…”

He whipped around, “YOU’RE Carol’s FATHER??”

“You know my daughter?!”

**Hangar area**

Haylee Gilligan quietly crept through a hall before peeking into a hangar. There sat a big, yellow ship whose legs were held down by metal binds. “Hmmm… this ship looks perfect! It doesn’t look like anyone’s on it… I better unhook it fast.”

She walked over and started using her wrench to try and unscrew the bolts of the metal binds. “Grrrrr!” She struggled to unscrew the first one, unable to budge it at all.

“What do you think you’re doing?” She gasped with fright and looked to her right. Space Dandy leaned against his ship, smirking wittingly with pearly-white teeth.

**With Mason and Daddy**

After a few minutes, Mason finished explaining his acquaintanceship with Daddy’s daughter. “Hm hm hm…” The man found it a little silly. “That is… an interesting tale.”

“Eeeeee.” Mason grinned and blushed goofily.

“You will have to excuse my daughter. She is… sort of a troubled person.”

“I got that. But part of the reason was because you left them… wasn’t it?”

“It was not Carol that tempted me to leave. But I, could not bear to live with that ghost of a woman who is her mother. You see… Carol’s mother was born under a long line of rich nobles. In the olden days, the nobles were the most powerful people in wealth, and their exercises are still practiced today. They believed themselves superior to every lower being, especially the little people, meaning Lilliputians or Minish. I believe the Corporate Presidents are also descended from these nobles.

“But these facts didn’t matter to me at the time. Not at all. My only passions in life were guns and money, and the best way to put 2 and 2 together was become a bounty hunter. I was one of the best bounty hunters out there, hunting small-time criminals, and a few big-time. The wealth I acquired as a result was incredible. But I longed for so much more. A loved one, if you will. So I came to Earth, to find a lady. I met a fairly wealthy girl, ironically, whose name was Mommy. We… were given weird names at birth. Heheh. She wasn’t the prettiest sight to look at, but, the only thing I looked at was her vast amounts of wealth. And as certain minds think alike, she was impressed in the wealth I acquired as a bounty hunter. So… we got married. And several months later, our daughter was born.

“I’ve never seen anything so beautiful. She was… like an angel, to me. We played together all the time when she was growing up… and using the money I got from bounties, I bought her all the fancy jewels and clothing. But in time… she took after her mother’s lifestyle, as a noble. In which there’s barely anything ‘noble’ about her. She tried to solve all of her problems with money. She started being rude to kids who didn’t wanna play with her, and she began her hunt for a Minish to claim as her ‘pet.’ But that only would’ve resulted in captivity, as you confirmed. I talked to her mother about her ‘dilemma,’ but she only passed it off as a natural thing, and rich people deserve to feel this way. I know that I used to feel the same way about money… but seeing my daughter act that way, changed a part of me. So I left them, and returned to Galaxia, continuing my job as a bounty hunter, though I hardly had an interest in the bounty. I regretted leaving Carol behind… but I assumed it was already too late. But it seems… you and her made friends in the end.”

“Heheheh. Yeah, we got there eventually. She’s still pretty hooked on money… but she has been pretty nice.”

“Even so… I must thank you for befriending her. Perhaps she may change her ways if she experiences true friendship.”

“I wish she had operative training, then we could hang out all the time! …Oh, but speaking of which, we kinda have a job to do still. Does this place… have any drinks that aren’t poisonous?”

“I thought _you_ were poison?”

“There’s a limit!”

“Hm hm hm! That fridge over there has a few sodas.” He pointed across the room. “We keep ‘em for, uh… the juniors.”

Mason walked over and proceeded to take an armful of sodas. “And remember, Child.” He looked at Daddy, the hunter giving a serious glare. “I still have my honor as a bounty hunter. If we are ordered to shoot you down… I may not hesitate.”

“Hm hm!” Mason only passed him a smile before hurrying out with the sodas. Daddy pulled out the music box and stared at the picture of his daughter. It filled his heart to know… she had a friend.

**_Aloha Oe_ ’s hangar**

“Those’re reinforced titanium screws, you know.” Dandy told Haylee. “Your little wrench ain’t gonna cut it.”

“Stay back!” Haylee yelled, aiming her wrench. “Or I’ll…I’ll screw you up real bad!”

“Ease up, Little Lady.” Dandy smiled coolly, whipping out his own screwdriver. “I’ll give ya a hand. Wouldn’t be dandy to leave ya hangin’.” And so, he began unscrewing the binds.

“Um… thanks?”

“But let’s get something straight here, I don’t like kids, never did. A bunch of whiny pests if you ask me.”

“You teen guys have a few unpleasant qualities too, if you ask me.” Haylee glared. “But why’re you helping us?”

“I’ve been hanging around these parts for a while now. News travels fast. ‘Army of snot-nosed kids saves entire universe from an army of plant monsters’, ‘evil adult alien foiled by a swarm of more of these little brats.’ Just hearing about all the things these kids get into… it makes me astonished. Knowing these young generations doing all these reckless things. I feel the strange need to lend a hand. But I just have to know one thing: why do you kids _do_ what you do? Wouldn’t it be much easier to just, sit at home, play your videogames, and leave all of this crap to the grown-ups?”

“It’s the fact we can’t trust grown-ups to do jack that we risk getting blown up in space. It’s become our duty to save, not just other kids, but whole worlds. It’s a lot to burden, but to have a universe where kids can play in peace, it’s worth it. …Say, now that I think about it, how did we get blown up in space and survive without a scratch?”

“It’s a really weird story. See, a couple years ago, after getting back to my ship, I found a box that contained a weird fruit. I was hungry at the time… so naturally, I ate it. Then before I knew it, I was able to escape _any_ situation in one piece, and I was able to let other people escape from things, too. Why, even if the _Apocalypse_ were to happen right now, you can bet I could avoid it with nary a scratch.”

“Hmmm…” Haylee had an idea what it was he ate. But how it got to him… hmmm. “So, whaddo _you_ do, anyway?”

“I’m a bounty hunter, of course.” He responded, continuing to unhook the _Aloha_. “But not like most of these guys. I happen to be a hunter of rare and unique aliens. In the galaxy I came from, there’s a registration center that collects data of alien species, always looking to scan and analyze new creatures. You bring new species to the center, and the rarer the type, the more Woolongs you get. Then the aliens are released back into the wild, I think. I moved to this galaxy in the hopes of finding some rare types. But funds were a little low, so I teamed up with these sleaseballs. But between you and me,” he bent down to Haylee and whispered, _“my eyes are on that nifty Vendra lady and her brother._ They’re the only ones of their kind, so they have to be worth a lot. I’m laying low, awaiting the perfect opportunity to nab them.”

After a few more moments, the _Aloha Oe_ was unhooked. “Well, it’s done. Ready to ship off when you’re ready. Oh, I got this for you, too.” He tossed her a small, black-and-white pyramid.

“Hey… this is one of those Zathurian Artifacts!”

“Your friend’s been looking for those, right? I happened to find that after blowing up a planet back in my home galaxy. I tried to crack it myself, but even a chainsaw couldn’t put a dent in that. Tell her it’s for good luck. Oh, but uh…” he bent down to Haylee with a sneaky glare, _“I wanted a little favor from you, too.”_

“What?”

“There’s another reason I came to this galaxy: I’m currently searching for an extremely rare alien called the Chameleonian, which can shape-shift into almost anyone. I heard it was last spotted in these parts… but if you help me find it, I’ll give you a share of the profit.”

“What’s the profit?”

“Heh heh, I’m not gonna tell you. Just spot it for me, will ya?”

_Side Mission unlocked: Locate the Chameleonian and bring it to Space Dandy._

Haylee turned to stare up at the shiny, yellow ship. “Oh, Kid?” Dandy tossed her the keys to the ship, and she fumbled to catch them. “Take care of the _Aloha Oe_ for me. She is… _she is my baby._ I caught my first bounty with her, and we survived blowing up a whole planet. So you better not get ‘er scratched by asteroids, Miss Junior Pilot.” He began to walk away, waving her off. “Stay in school, Kid!”

“…” Haylee smiled and stared in his direction a few seconds before the others hurried over. “Yo Hayl, we got the- What’re you staring at?” Artie asked.

“OH! Uh… just thinkin’.”

“Waaaait I’ve seen that look before.” Artie glared. “Haylee’s in LOOOOVE.”

She blushed madly, “I AM not!!”

“Awwww! Who you kissy-kissy face wiiiith- Ow!” Harry smacked him.

“Man, you kissy-face over Hancock. Now we ready to go or not?” he asked.

“Uh-huh.” Hayl nodded. “We’re ready. Oh, and I got this!” She presented the artifact.

“Hey, it’s one of those things Nebula mentioned!” Aurora recognized. “Where’d you get it?”

“I’ll explain later. Offscreen explanations save budget. Now come on, before any more thugs show up!”

They boarded the _Aloha Oe_ and were soon taking off for deep space. From one of the station’s windows, Dandy’s two crewmates, Meow and QT, watched their ship leave. “Dandy lent his spaceship to 11 ten-year-old kids?” Meow asked.

“Sure looks that way, yep…”

“I knew I was gonna regret signing up for him…”

**Great Clock**

MaKayla and George peacefully slept in their beds… until MaKayla’s eyes glowed blue again, and she was off on another time-traveling adventure. She hurried to the Planet Room and located Earth’s holographic image, channeling the energy before vanishing in a Time Portal.

**Punk Hazard; two years ago**

“Mmm, _make me a Devil Fruit_ , she says, _get on with it bastard_ , she yells… Well, are you HAPPY now, Mom?” Caesar grinned maniacally as he extracted a white bacuri fruit, decorated with little black lines. “The Escape-Escape Fruit will help you evade ALL the tax-collectors you desire! _So shove THAT up your ass…”_

MaKayla peeked in the room as Caesar went to put the fruit in a metal box. “Those Drophyd things should be here any minute to collect it. Siiigh… I wonder if Doffy wants to meet up for booze later?”

A Drophyd Transport Ship soon landed as troopers went in to take the crate. MaKayla snuck onto the ship and hid behind other cargo before they returned. The ship was soon taking off for space, but before it could reach Galaxia, MaKayla took the box with her through a Time Portal.

**Planet Huron; two years ago**

MaKayla appeared in a desolate valley under a blue nighttime sky with a sea of stars. Before her lay a vast canyon where a building sat all the way across, and parked near that building was the _Aloha Oe_. The night sky and breezy atmosphere making her sleepy, MaKayla began another journey across a rugged landscape in bare feet. (Play “Outpost X11” from _Ratchet & Clank_.)

 

_Stage 15: Huron Outpost_

_Mission: Cross the valley and bring Dandy the Devil Fruit._

MaKayla started down a slope into the canyon, but having to carry the box containing the Devil Fruit was a struggle. The trail was zigzaggy, but stayed along the right trench wall as it made a corner turn, leading her to a group of froglike aliens in purple army suits, called Incursions. The aliens blasted her with laser rifles, but MaKayla dropped the crate and flipped to them, knocking the weapons away with her staff. She then kicked a few Incursions upside the head, and when they all charged, she stuck her staff on the ground and twirled herself around it to kick them all away.

She entered a dark, nearly black cave, awaking a green, bright firefly on the way in as it began fluttering around her, allowing her to see a little. Some Swoopers flew at her, but she swatted them away with the box before reaching a small pond with platforms. She had to toss the box onto the individual platforms before jumping to them. Some of the platforms had piranhas jumping over, but she slowed them with Time Bombs to get across easy.

She reached a short, dark chasm that several fireflies were alighting over, revealing the zigzaggy balance beams, some of which were disconnected from the path and led to platforms with switches. There was a switch beside her that connected the first trail, so MaKayla used Recordance and stood on that switch. When she restarted, the clone stood on the switch, allowing her to carefully haul the box across the beam. It’s times like these she was thankful for her small feet, otherwise she could never balance as great as she does.

She had to stop on all the switches and restart Time Recordance so her clones would balance their way to them, allowing her to eventually make it all the way. However, there was still one more switch, and while she could set her box on it, she still needed to get across. She restarted the Time Recordance, but erased all the clones, thinking of a plan: she restarted the whole sequence, but this time left the box on every first switch, then went to press the second switch. She kept this up and was able to get across, with her clones and box’s clones holding the switches.

She got to another chasm, where the platforms led down, then led back up to the other side, so it was just a matter of tossing the box down, then jumping after it. On the other side’s ledge was a waterfall pouring from a small, shallow stream, and it felt nice to cool her feet down as she jumped on. But on the dry path that continued, a Tetramite hive sat in the middle of the area, and MaKayla knew those creatures could feast on her fast, even with Time Bombs. There was another beam that hung a few feet from the ground, and it led around the hive and across the room.

MaKayla tossed the crate below the beam, then hurried to jump and grab the beam before the Tetramites could grab her. They swarmed ravenously underneath her, desperately awaiting her to drop down. MaKayla held tight to the beam and grabbed the crate’s handles with her toes, climbing across the beam and pulling the box with her as well. She reached another stream and could safely drop down since the Tetramites didn’t like water. She carried the box normally again across a narrow, zigzaggy path over a pit of darkness, then finally reached the cave’s exit.

She followed a wide path down between trench walls and reached a cliff where more Incursions waited. Some flew on jetpacks while they blasted at her, but MaKayla dodged and hit their shots back with her staff. She ran to whack and beat the other ones until they were all knocked out, then turned to a zipline that led across to the next ledge. She grabbed the hook and held the box with her toes again as she zipped across, dropping off and carrying the box up this next path.

She reached a vast, open field filled with Incursions, who all took notice of the girl and began shooting. MaKayla held the box with her right hand and scepter in her left as she began to dash through, swinging both items and blocking and deflecting the shots (respectively). A line of Incursions blocked her way, but she used her staff to pole-vault above them and kick a Time Bomb down. Others charged at her with swords, but she swiftly dodged them all and ran into the thin gap in the wall on the other side. The road split in two, and she dashed down a left path as the Incursion swarm followed. The froggy aliens chased her into the distant desert.

However, the REAL MaKayla smiled as the Incursions chased away her clone. With that, she followed the right path and climbed a high ladder, still holding the box in her right hand and the scepter in her teeth as she used her left hand to climb it. Once at the top, she had a lovely view of Space Dandy’s prized ship, the _Aloha Oe_. She stepped inside to make the delivery. (End song.)

**Inside the _Aloha Oe_**

“WOOOO!” Space Dandy cheered as he returned to his ship, raising a bottle of beer. “Boy, you Incursions sure know how to party! Hey, good luck with your next invasion!… Hm?” He found a peculiar metal box seated on his pad. He opened the box and found a strange, white fruit inside. He picked the fruit up and tried to make out what it was. “Hmmm… Well, I am a little hungry. Ah well.” He took a bite out of the fruit, baring a curious look as he munched. “Yuck! That’s the worst thing I ever tasted! Well, it’s probably healthy, ‘n that case.” And he continued to finish the whole thing.

**Unnamed doomed planet; one year later**

Dandy was cowered behind a rock as a swarm of giant, ravenous alien monsters sniffed him out. “QT, just push the button on that doll and we can blow all these things to smithereens!” Dandy yelled into his communicator.

 _“Well… okay.”_ He pressed it.

“Great! That thing’s meant to blow up this planet and everything on it!”

_“That’s good, but, how do we get outta here?”_

“…Oh.” Dandy frowned. “No wonder I never used it. But at least I die with a full head of hair.”

And the starry skies looked ever so bright when the entire planet vanished in a great explosion.

_And thus, Space Dandy’s great adventures have come to an end. His legends will echo across the stars… but not really. He’s not DEAD anyway, you already saw the future…_

 

**So yes, the Kayla stage comes AFTER the respective resulted scene in the current time. Dandy first mentions his fruit, then we see how he got it. The Incursions come from _Ben 10_ , but they aren’t really meant to have later appearances besides this simple stage. So yes, it is, in fact, Space Dandy, from the new show on Toonami of the same name. The man who can miraculously survive any situation. Basically, he has the power of any cartoon character. So this chapter features the first character/antagonist battle, with Mason vs. Daddy; since Mason is acquainted with his daughter, that was a fated battle. The thing is, Carol’s actually gonna be an importance for the next couple stories. So next time, Sector V will get the artifact to Nebula and co., and we’ll go to the next planet. Later.**


	14. The Prince of Osiris

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Team Nebula go to Osiris Country in search of the next fragment. Unfortunately, an expected complication occurs.

**Hokay everybody, went to see _Captain America 2_ , now back to the story! Let’s find the next fragment and get it done.**

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Chapter 13: The Prince of Osiris

_**

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**Mecha Jungle**

Vweeb finished repairing the Shooting Star’s interior before climbing out to his friends. “Well, the solar flare did a number on the Star, but I was able to fix it okay. YOU guys coulda helped me, now that Nebula can SHRINK now!” Indeed Nebula was leaning on the car, filing her nails, while Bender smoked a cigar.

“Yeah, but all I could do was bend the wires, which would make things worse.” Bender implied.

“Plus, I don’t have my lightning power back, so I couldn’t-a helped.” Nebula noted.

“Whatever! So we ready to take off or what?”

“Yeah, we’re ready.” Neb said as they hopped in. “We need to contact Sector V somehow and check in their progress. It’s all we can do before we find a hint to the fragment. Let’s go.” So, the ship lifted and took off again.

**_Aloha Oe_ **

“Ahhhh, this ship is the bee’s knees!” Haylee said gleefully as she piloted their brand new ship.

“Hey, don’t steal my bit, ‘aylee!” Sheila yelled. “Oi, but she be apples.” She smiled as she lied back on the round sofa. “It’s a hundred yonkers better than that dusty ol’ dingy.”

Chris, however, wore a look of anger and annoyance. “I appreciate Dandy for allowing us the comfort of his ship, but… WHY DID HE HAVE TO SAVE THESE LITTLE PESTS!!” Indeed, Chris’s hands and legs were tied behind him as the Kateenian kids grinned playfully.

“Hm hm hm!” Aurora giggled. “Those guys are so fun!”

“Hm hm, let’s find Nebula and give her the artifact!” Haruka suggested with giggles. “Afterwards, we can drop these little guys back at Kateenia. Not that we want to.” Chris glared.

**A few space-miles away; Sector DR’s Lego ship**

“I’m telling you, he’s being held on Glacia!” Doflamingo argued. “Arctic tundra, that’s his kinda place! We’ll search for the coldest region on there and bring his ass back!”

“All right, all right. But do we even know where Glacia is?” Sweetie asked.

“What’m I, a galactic navigator? All these directions look the same to me.”

“You’re stupid. Ask someone for directions.” Sugar stated.

“Shuddup, I was gonna do that!”

“Uuuuh! There’s a ship over there-daizokun!” Bison pointed, seeing the _Aloha Oe_ ahead.

“Alright, we’ll see what they know. Will THAT make you happy, Sugar?”

**_Aloha Oe_ **

“…Hm?” Aurora looked curiously as a strange Lego ship flew toward them. It stopped as a voice echoed,

_“Excuse me fellas, but we’re lookin’ for Planet Glacia. Mind pointin’ us the way?”_

“Uhhh, let’s seeee…” Aurora pressed buttons at a terminal. “Ahh! Just fly diagonally right at 10 parsecs and it says you’ll make it!”

 _“Terrific! Thank ya, Miss!”_ Doffy Jr. said, and with that, they flew off.

Sector V continued on their voyage while Aurora smiled with satisfaction. “Ahhhh… helping people. …”

**Great Clock; bathroom**

“Mmmmmm…” After an arduous journey across a barren, rocky landscape, MaKayla was happily relaxed in a wide, steaming hot tub, filled with bubbles that, well, ‘censored’ her body. “The earthbender lifestyle is not for me. Sigh, why’s the box gotta be so heavy for a little fruit?”

Clockwork’s vision appeared. _“A Devil Fruit is a very important project, created after many years of research. The powers it brings are not to be taken lightly.”_

“Gyah!” MaKayla covered herself. “Can’t a girl take a bath in privacy??”

_“I’m a ghost. We do this all the time.”_

“That…That’s no excuse at all! Uuugh! Anyway, wouldn’t it be much easier to carry a can of Bang Gas?”

_“It may be… but remember that the effects of Bang Gas are randomized, while Devil Fruits contain concentrations of Bang Gas for a specific power. And besides, Devil Fruits are an upgrade over regular Bang Gas. With a mix of demon material, even the usual anti-metahuman antidote would have no effect.”_

“But… didn’t The Brain give Mr. York the chance to induce Madame Rouge with the antidote?”

_“Yes, he did… but even if he took it, the potion would have no effect. ‘Twas merely a test of Nolan’s moral strength. Madame Rouge not only ate a Devil Fruit, but a Logia one at that. To become a Logia bender, it normally takes years of meditation and elemental bonding. To make a fruit that so greatly manipulates your body’s substance and structure… Caesar’s level of knowledge, is truly amazing.”_

“With your help and these little nightly escapades, I might reach the Logia level pretty early!” MaKayla smiled.

 _“Do not be so_ hasty _. Although Time is treated in the same league as other elements, regarding a flow of chi or weaknesses, it is also referred to as the God Element. When one wields Time, one holds the very foundation of our universe and all its history. A timebender of truly remarkable power can alter the timeline to his very desire, and reshape a universe to his own image. A timebender who could achieve the Logia level would know power like no other in the universe. For being able to merge with Time itself, there is no energy in the cosmos that can hold them back. The universe and all its eras will be at their whim._

_“In the great scheme that is the universe, there have only been two Logia timebenders. I… am one of them. Under Dialga’s command, I bonded with the light side of my element and protected the universe. The other: The other… escapes my vision entirely. Such is his incredible power.”_

“But… if you don’t know him… how do you know he exists?”

_“I began to have nightmares that a timebender of incredible power exists. I asked Darkrai about them… but none of us had any idea. But I knew… the nightmares wouldn’t happen without a reason. Somewhere in the universe… is a timebender like that. Coincidentally… I began having them… when your father was born.”_

MaKayla looked in the direction of the bedrooms with fear. Jagar and Misty slept peacefully in their bed.

**Shooting Star**

“You kids ever stare at old pictures of your mom?” Bender asked.

“WHO THE HECK STARTS A CONVERSATION LIKE THAT?!” Nebula and Vweeb yelled.

“Eh, I’m sorry, guys. It just gets so BORING, sittin’ in this dusty ol’ racecar. Not even a comfy couch, or TV!”

“I happen to find this place quite roomy!” Vweeb said as he lied back on Nebula’s lap.

“Easy for you, Shrimpy.” Bender glared.

“Besides, isn’t your apartment just a closet?” Nebula asked.

“Hey, my apartment has pizazz, it’s got way more lingo than your crummy _human_ apartments. I want a ship with spirit! Like theirs!” He pointed to a huge, yellow ship flying their way.

“Who do you think they are?” Vweeb asked.

“Probably bounty hunters.” Nebula assumed. “Let’s just fly casually, just in case.”

Right away, the Star changed into a humanoid shape with hands in its pockets as it whistled, walking casually.

**Inside _Aloha Oe_**

“Come on, we know how to turn on the megaphone speakers, can’t we connect to their message transmitter?” Aurora asked.

“Hey, a girl needs time adjusting to a new ship.” Haylee said, pressing different buttons. “What does this one do?” She pushed a button that fired a laser at the Shooting Star. “Oops.”

“Eyah!! They’re shooting us, let’s go!” Vweeb yelled, and the Shooting Star immediately took off.

“Way to go, Haylee!” Artie yelled.

“Don’t ‘Way to go’ Haylee! Let’s just boost after them! As soon as I find the-” She stomped a gas pedal, but it only fired a series of missiles.

“GYAAAAAH!” Vweeb screamed as they narrowly dodged the missiles.

“Still bored, Bender?” Neb asked. “Looks like we aren’t leaving peacefully. Let’s just fight.”

They did a somersault and flew at the _Aloha_ , beginning to bombard it with lasers. “Aaaahh! I guess they can’t take an honest mistake!” Haylee yelled.

“Why don’t you alert ‘em to the fact WE AREN’T ENEMIES!!” Harry screamed.

“Chill out, I’ll find the right button! It’s here somewhere-” She pushed a button that formed a barrier and bounced the Star back.

“They’re well-prepared.” Nebula observed. “I wonder if I can Space Shrink ‘em from this distance. Let’s fly over their cockpit and see what happens.”

And so, the Star flew upside-down and glided over the _Aloha_ ’s pilot’s seat. She held her hands ready to shrink them, but- “Huh?” saw Haylee and Sector V directly above their view.

“Hiiii!” Haylee grinned and waved.

**Inside _Aloha_**

“Ohh! So you got a new ship!” Nebula realized after their explanation.

“Heh heh! Sorry!” Haylee blushed.

“It sure is roomy.” Vweeb said as he walked around the sofa, where Kirie and Haruka sat.

“Eh, it’s okay… but it feels… like it’s _missing_ something.” Bender said.

“This closet’s pretty nice!” Dillon smiled, showing him the closet. Bender walked in as Dillon shut the door.

_“Now that’s what Ah’m talkin’ about!”_

“And since it isn’t a Drophyd ship, they probably won’t be suspecting us!” Haylee said as she jumped back in the pilot seat.

“Also, she got _this_ for you.” Aurora said as she tossed Nebula the artifact.

“A Zathurian Artifact?!” she asked with excitement. “Where did you get it??”

“A friend.” Haylee winked.

“Boyfriend.” Artie smirked.

“HE IS NOT!”

Nebula allowed the artifact to scan her eye, and the holographic message appeared for all to see (but only for Nebula to read). “‘You, who is descended from the Clan of Space and is probably tired of reading this, seek the 6 pieces that will make our invention whole. The next fragment (assuming you’re finding these in a particular order) is on Secco, within the region of Osiris. But the fragment will only be found, once the next pharaoh awakens. Good luck, and beware the darkness… you know how it is.’ …Well, that’s it.”

“Holy crud!!” Vweeb exclaimed. “So we’re going to _Secco_?? We’re visiting the most-visited planet of the series in a SPACE adventure?! Holy wow! That’s just plain amazing and surprising in the MOST possible way!”

“At least we’re familiar with it.” Neb said. “I heard the Osiris Region was modeled after Ancient Earth Egypt. Or was it… the other way around.”

“Well, you should be more than comfortable in this ship.” Aurora smiled.

“I think we’ll stick with the Shooting Star. The less attention, the better. And faster.”

“What the-?! TV and good eating and you wanna ride in the PATTY Wagon??” Bender complained.

“If we get in a space-fight, a smaller ship would be more agile, so it’s best we stick with it.”

“We have to drop these Kateenians off, anyway.” Aurora noted, indicating the Kateenian kids using Chris as a boat swing, hanging from the ceiling.

“And let’s do it quick before I puke off the starboard bow!”

“YAAAAAAY!”

“Mmm-nn-nn, _more agile ship_ , mmm-nn-nn…” Bender mumbled with anger, “ _no comfy couch or TV_ , mm-mm…”

“By the way, who’s the whiny robot?” Aurora asked.

“A guy whose specific functions are unclear.” Neb said.

“Bite my shiny metal ass!” Bender retorted.

“I’ve seen shinier.” Dillon countered.

“Not from you, Crowboy.”

“Can we just go??” Nebula insisted. “Anyway, when you’re done with those Kateenians, try and meet up with my brother.”

Chris glared, his anger building up as they used him for swinging. “Oh I think they’re gonna be more than done…”

**Secco’s atmosphere; southeast region**

“All I’m saying is, if we’re gonna spend a bazillion hours in space, we at LEAST need to be comfortable!” Bender argued. “I figured a spacebender like you would LOVE more space!”

“Well, we need to think about the good of the mission. Besides, I’m not actually a full spacebender at the moment. But that’ll all change once we get the fragments. Secco’s a big place, so let’s make sure we-”

At that instant, the engine started to die, bursting mini puffs of smoke as the ship shook. “Uh-oh. I think that solar flare’s taking its toll!” Vweeb deduced.

“Bender is right. Nailed it.” Bender smirked as he blew a smoke.

“Ugh, the wheel’s stuck!” Nebula yelled. “Good thing Secco’s a sandpit ‘cause we’re in for a rough landing!”

“WHOOOOOAAAA!” The racecar craft crashed onto a sandy field, and the three heroes were flung out, scratched and bloody.

**8 hours later…**

“….Mmm…nnnnn.” Nebula finally awakened as the sun began setting over the Osiris Region. She found Vweeb a few feet ahead and scooped him in her hand as he came to.

“Ceh, ceh!” he coughed. “All sand is is just small, Kateenian rocks! Really painful.”

Nebula set him on her shoulder as they looked around. “Where do you think Bender is?”

“I dunno, but it doesn’t look like he walked. Check it out.” Vweeb pointed at a long, dented trail in the sand, which matched Bender’s width.

“’Guess someone took an interest in him.” They looked to the smoking wreckage of the Star. “And it’ll take more than some tiny-size hacking to fix that. We’ll see if the Seccoans have any good materials.”

“Gonna be a long way for that.” Vweeb noticed the pyramids in the distance.

“Nothing we aren’t used to…” (Play “Dusty Desert Quicksand” from _Sonic 2006_.)

 

_Stage 16: Osiris Country_

_Mission: Reach the town and look for the fragment._

_Act 1_

Nebula and Vweeb began their journey across the Wild Sandy Yonder (do not confuse this with the _GALACSIA_ stage :P). Moldorms crawled around the sand and jumped out at them, but Nebula kept them away with her S.H.O.O.T.E.R.. The desert was very barren, with a few rocks and mostly dunes, and the group walked up their first dune, having to only deal with Moldorms. Once at the top of the dune, they overlooked a bottomless chasm with far-apart platforms. They hurried down the sandy hill as Nebula jumped to the first platform. She formed a group of moving Space Blocks that led to the next one, and carefully jumped them to get across.

The next platform was too far to float to, but it sat on an unstable, ball-shaped rock near its stem. Nebula used the Space Shrink to minimize the rock, and this caused the platform to wobble back-and-forth, between them and the continued path. They jumped on when it tilted by them, then made it to the path between sand dunes. Leevers came out and spun at them, but they were still short-rate enemies that Nebula sprung out from the sand using her S.P.O.U.T..

They reached a wider area filled with sand holes, and in those holes were Sarlacc awaiting their meal. It was easy to walk around them, even though the flowing sand moved them toward the holes, but Sarlaccs’ tentacles were reaching up to grab them, so Nebula kept them away with the S.H.O.O.T.E.R.. They made it out of the sandpit field, but reached an even larger sinkhole with a larger Sarlacc. They slowly stepped into the pit’s slope, where the Sarlacc came out and spat slimeballs at them. It held its mouth open a few seconds after spitting, so Nebula had to toss grenades inside when it did. The process repeated a few times before the Sarlacc fainted in defeat.

The sands became stable in the area as they were able to get up out of the pit, to the next path. They reached a pit of quicksand that many tall Pokeys emerged from. Nebula used Space Shrink to minimize their lower segments, making the Pokeys shorter so she could jump off their heads. After crossing the sandpit, they reached a wide, gaping chasm, and on the other side, a Pokey of incredible height towered above the edge. There was a 20x40 stand, where Numbuh 20x40 made his daily announcement.

_“GET yer V.I.S.S.I.L.E., another classic weapon fer a classic space adventah, only 6,000 Bolts! Launch across all the great distances and see ahead of a level if ya wanna! If ya can’t take it from me, take it from that tall Pokey fella who’s tauntin’ ya across the chasm!”_

Nebula chuckled and paid the toll, acquiring the classic missile launcher. Nebula noticed the cracked ledge beneath the Pokey and launched her V.I.S.S.I.L.E. across, destroying the ground as the towering Pokey began to fall toward them. And just when its body was level with their ledge, a time distortion beam came down from the sky and stopped its body from falling. However, its parts were still too light to walk across, so they followed a side-trail on their left. A rock sat in the sand, baring Nebula’s reflection, so the half-Zathurian shrunk herself. She and Vweeb were able to cross the Pokey bridge, having to jump to each individual part.

Another mirror rock sat on the other side, so Nebula was able to re-expand herself. After following another short trail, they were at a long river of quicksand, where many bones were seen flowing and sinking into the depths. Among these bones happened to be a capsule containing a Brown Boulder Wisp, so Nebula fired the V.I.S.S.I.L.E. and broke it open. “BOULDER!” Nebula absorbed the power and began speeding across the quicksand as a speeding boulder. Bone walls emerged from the sand which she had to dodge, and it was difficult to swerve when the river made turns.

She had to roll up a slope onto a platform to cross a bridge connecting to another platform across a chasm. She sped down short sand hills and evaded geysers that popped out of the sand. She soon sped into a thin tunnel, coming out on a long, sandy hill that led straight into a Sarlacc’s mouth. They sped down its throat and up a ramp, over a pool of digestive acid as they took land on a safe foothold.

The power wore off as they began a journey inside the Sarlacc. They jumped up some floating platforms to reach a passageway on the ceiling, leading into a tunnel. The monster’s insides were pumping in and out as they reached a vertical shaft, where the parallel walls moved away, then squeezed back. When they squeezed back, they were close enough for Nebula to Wall Jump up to a higher walkway. The ceiling began to close down to the path, so Nebula had to duck and squeeze in the gaps. They reached a river of digestive acid and had to jump a set of platforms, which sunk after they were stood on.

Just as well, a wave of acid began to wash toward them, so they jumped across quickly. At the route’s end, they broke open a capsule with a Laser Wisp, which Nebula absorbed and aimed down the acid river. “LASER!” They shot forward and blasted out of the Sarlacc’s rear, flying high in the sky before landing back on the sandy ground. They were only meters away from a town of pyramids and statues. Some of the Osirins here were human with dark skin, some were doglike creatures, resembling the Egyptian god, Anubis, and others looked like the Egyptian god, Thoth. The two approached one of these types, who wore a red pointed crown and dressed like a priest.

“Welcome, visitors, to our proud country of Osiris.” He greeted. “I am the High Priest, leader of the country’s religious order. May your time here be pleasurable.”

“Wow! Osiris looks a lot like Egypt on Ancient Earth!” Vweeb observed.

“Well, of course. Our kind visited Egypt, Earth, thousands of years ago. We set up establishments and the humans soon adapted to our ways. It was a pleasant planet, but we got bored and left.”

The priest led them through town as Neb and Vweeb viewed the many pyramids and statues of pharaohs, towering over tombs. “You have come at a momentous time. We are about to announce the arrival of the new pharaoh.”

“The new pharaoh?” Nebula asked.

“Yes. For 10 years, our land has gone without a pharaoh. Ever since the last pharaoh, Hamenthotep died.”

“How did he die?” Vweeb asked.

“We had just gotten done constructing the statue to his tomb. But tragedy… the nose of his idol collapsed, and crushed him. We awaited the gods to deliver us the next pharaoh… but for long time, the Wall of Prophecy has gone unchanged. The slaves had no work… we had no one to follow. But at long last, the Wall of Prophecy hath delivered us news. And the _new_ pharaoh, descended from the heavens.”

“That’s cool and all, but… did you really need anyone to follow before?” Nebula asked. “You people can act on your own… can’t you?”

“It is tradition, that only the pharaoh hath say in the land. It is God’s will, that we blindly obey. Free from thought or responsibility.”

“Your culture is truly, truly amazing.” Vweeb said with clear sarcasm.

The kids were brought to a huge crowd of people gathered before a stone temple. Nebula and Vweeb stood in the front as the High Priest stepped up to the podium atop the wide stairs. “People of Osiris! We’ve waited 10 long years, but the gods have delivered us the golden news. Behold… Osiris’s new pharaoh: BENDEEEERRR!” And out came Bender Rodríguez, dressed in a pharaoh’s uniform and crown as he performed an Egyptian dance, up to the podium.

“!!!!” Needless to say, Neb and Vweeb’s mouths couldn’t stay closed.

“HELLO, people of Osiris! _I_ am Bender… THE GREAT!”

“HE’S the new pharaoh??” Nebula screamed.

“Of course! As it is written, on the Wall Prophecy!” The priest indicated the Wall of Prophecy behind the crowd, which had many symbols. The one that was distinctly noticeable, was a pixel graffiti art of Bender.

 _DOIIIIIINNNG._ The color dropped from the two’s faces.

“That’s right! And the new pharaoh has BIG news!” Bender announced. “The labor and tyranny that was brought onto you by the pharaohs before me… IS NO MORE!”

_“YAAAAAAAY!”_

“Let a NEW wave of toil and labor wash across this lazy country!”

“YAAAA- Wait, whuh, huh?…”

“Starting today: you will build me a colossal statue in my honor! One _billion_ cubit meters tall! You will construct it to my _exact_ specifications! Anyone who slacks off… will just have to work harder! NOW GET MOVIN’!” He lashed a whip.

And so, the slaves of Osiris were put to work, after 10 years of relaxation. Nebula and Vweeb were thrown into this too, but they had to wear Egyptian style clothing. Nebula was dressed in a white sleeveless bellybutton shirt, green dress, sandals, and had a gold headband around her forehead. They were able to cut tiny pieces of cloth off for Vweeb, and some matching sandals. Also, the designer who was picking these clothes out for them was being whipped by Bender as he did so.

And for several days and nights, they worked. Nebula used her gravity powers to make people stand on convenient Grav-Paths on the statue’s side, allowing them to push blocks up to higher areas. Bender’s legs stretched to their height as he whipped them walking up.

A couple of carpenters were carefully studying the blueprints to Bender’s tremendous statue, looking thoughtfully. Bender whipped them as they did this.

When they were trying to put pieces of Bender’s statue’s arms together, Vweeb used his ray gun and burned along the cracks to stick them together. Bender whipped him with a tiny whip as he did so.

When night fell, Neb and Vweeb were fast asleep inside a barrel, with the smaller alien tucked in her bellybutton. Many others were asleep as well, and Bender still whipped them into shape.

The statue was nearing completion, and it stretched all the way to space. Nebula and Vweeb wore space helmets as they floated with jetpacks, as did the other slaves. They carefully placed the ball on Bender’s antenna. Bender didn’t cease in whipping them once.

**5 days later…**

The legion of slaves stood before the tremendous idol, with Neb and Vweeb in the front. The High Priest led Bender forward, a blindfold over the robot’s eyes. “Pharaoh Bender… it is with the highest honor, we present to you… your tomb.” He took the fold off. Bender stared with sheer amazement as his statue towered beyond the heavens. (End song.)

 _“REMEMBER ME.”_ The statue echoed across Secco, releasing a breath of fire from its mouth. _“REMEMBER ME.”_ Another flame.

“Does it please you, My Lord?”

“Hmmmnn… yeah, it’s definitely _big_ all right… I just wonder if it’s _too_ big, you know? Like, will people remember _me_ , or the statue?”

“But Sire, we made it to your exact specifications.”

“TOO exact if you ask me! TEAR it down and start it again! And this time, try not to make fools of yourselves.”

As Bender smoked his cigar, the High Priest went to speak with his underlings. After a few whispers, they nodded in agreement.

“H-HEY, wha- Yow!” Bender was immediately wrapped like a mummy.

“Ladies and gentlemen, the pharaoh suddenly died.”

“YAAAAAY!” Everyone cheered, including Nebula and Vweeb.

The Osirins took Bender to a hole next to his tomb and tossed him down below. _“WHAT ABOUT MY serrrrrvaaaaants?”_

“Uuugh. Fine.” With that, they grabbed Neb and Vweeb, and pushed them toward the hole.

“H-Hey- whooo _oooaaaa!”_ The tomb was sealed afterward.

**Inside the tomb**

“Oh- uh- Ow! Uuuuuhh…” The two groaned after colliding with the bottom.

They looked up when a candle alit, held by Bender as he unwrapped his bandages. “Cool, you guys made it! Check out the awesome tomb I made these guys build!” He flipped a lightswitch, bringing light to a casino-like tomb with gold and a bar.

“Bender, what the heck were you even thinking??” Neb asked.

“Look, I wasn’t tryin’ to be pharaoh, but you know, the opportunity presented itself, and I figured I could use a good retirement home! Come on, I got you guys some soda!” He went to grab some sodas in the fridge, tossing them to Nebula.

“Well, you coulda gone a little easier on us.”

“Eh, no big deal. Enslaving people was my 12th hobby. I made absolutely certain you guys received the worst possible treatment.”

Nebula WHACKED him beside the head with the S.H.O.O.T.E.R.. “That’s the OPPOSITE of what I’m trying to get across here!!”

“Owww! Excuse me! Ah guess _maybe_ I shouldn’t-a snagged THIS!” He presented the Dimensional Fragment.

Nebula gaped. “The Dimensional Fragment!!” Thank you, Nebula.

“Yeah, apparently it’s some sacred treasure they give to the pharaoh or somethin’. I woulda let you guys know, but I wanted to make sure they did this tomb right. I guess I can live with it…”

“Uh, no matter! Let’s just get outta here and find a way to fix the ship!”

“That’s gonna be a problem: we’re totally sealed. Nothing can get _in_ or out. Except millions of snakes.”

“Eyaaah!” Vweeb screamed when a swarm of snakes crawled out of the ceiling corner.

However, Nebula took notice of a tiny hole under one of the tables. “Actually, we could probably get out easy if I shrink us down. There’s a mirror right there.” She noticed a dresser mirror.

“Awwww.” Bender frowned. “You don’t wanna spend the rest of eternity together?”

“Eternity has other plans. You comin’ with us?”

“Yeah, I guess so.” He said as he put the fragment in his compartment. With that, Nebula caught Bender in her frame and minimized him to Vweeb’s size. She turned to the mirror and focused on her reflection, shrinking herself down. The three entered the tiny snake hole and began their journey through the tomb. (Play “Dusty Desert Ruins” from _Sonic 2006_.)

_Act 2: Bender’s Tomb_

The tunnel was pretty narrow and straightforward, with only giant snakes slithering at them, which Nebula kept back using grenades. They had to Wall Jump up a few vertical parts until they exited to a more open area. A small ledge (actually their size) to the right led them to a mirror, which Nebula used to biggify, then re-expanded Bender. They jumped the small gap between the main path (since the previous ledge was too small), then followed the route along a wall over a dark chasm.

They had a view of another ledge far across the chasm, but had to stick along this path for now. It led to a dead-end before the chasm, where a group of 3 tall stalactites hung above. Nebula used the V.I.S.S.I.L.E. to take these stalactites down, sticking them onto lower platforms. The stalactites’ tops served as platforms, but the 3 were far spread out, so Nebula had to float while Bender stretched across. They reached a path that led around the wall across the chasm, then came to a sealed door that was guarded by Boos.

The trio’s weapons and powers phased right through the three ghosts, but the ceiling above had a spotlight that pointed out in the chasm. Bender stretched up to bend the light down so it’d shine on the ground. With that, the group easily lured the Boos into the light, making the door open once they were defeated. They entered and appeared on the ledge across from the higher walkway they were just on, then entered the next door between a set of torches.

They reached a hallway with a sand river that stretched across, and sandwaves were washing down with several debris. There was a zigzaggy, flat path in the river with several Space Lights floating above some spots, so when the three hurried down, Nebula conjured Space Blocks that lifted them upward, evading the sandwaves. The path listed to the right wall, where Nebula allowed them to stand on a Grav-Path along the wall. The path was still low enough for the sandwaves to reach, so they had to walk on little gaps that went higher up the wall, above the sandwaves.

They landed on a foothold in the river that led them onto a safe ledge where the door was. They entered a small room where 3 mummies rose out of tombs, moaning as they limped toward the heroes. Bender grabbed one and tried to bend it back, but it proved futile as the mummy grabbed him, spun him in the air, and tossed him at another mummy, who jumped and kicked him away.

“Wonder if they know Ancient Egyptian basketball?” Nebula remarked. The Zathurian back-flipped as the mummies ran and tried to grab her, then tossed a N.I.N.S.T.A.R. to slice their bandages. Vweeb hopped off her shoulder and shot them in the knees, making them fall as Nebula and Bender grabbed parts of bandages that were hanging out. They unwrapped the mummies and made dust tumble out, allowing a door on their right to open.

They were in a bigger room overlooking a ditch representing a giant pool table. Nebula pressed a switch, and 9 giant pool balls dropped in and rolled about aimlessly, some falling in the 6 holes around the table. There were switches on the sides that pushed out giant circles, which made the balls ricochet off each other into the holes. It was fairly easy since some of the balls went in on their own, and the door across the room opened.

They entered and followed a snaky stairway down a narrow hall, coming out on a ledge above a vast, dark chasm, where a great statue of Emperor Tachyon sat on the other side. “You don’t mean to tell me Tachyon actually carved this OUT.” Nebula said.

“Why not, he’s a good-lookin’ guy.” Bender replied.

They went down some stairs and followed a narrow trail to a platform hanging over the pit. There was nowhere else to go, but a pillar sticking from the chasm on their left had a Grav-Path that spiraled around. Nebula floated them onto it, and when they walked down to its end, they had a view of the underside of the platform, where they floated to another Grav-Path. A set of Space Lights, where Nebula made blocks appear, made a trail to the Tachyon statue… however, upside-down, there was another statue underneath it: one of a meditating Zathurian wearing a jester hat. “Hmm… I wonder who that is.” Neb said quietly.

The moving Space Blocks had their own Grav-Spaces, so it was another matter of crossing them when they passed by. A bit more tricky upside-down, but no biggie. The blocks took them to an entry in the Zathurian statue, where they flipped right-side-up and walked up more stairs. They were led to a narrow, straight hallway of parallel torches, heading deeper and deeper into the tomb. Soon, they entered a round, cylindrical room where a dark chasm surrounded the floor along the walls. (End song.)

They entered the round room slowly, seeing the door closed across from them. In the center of the floor rested a giant coffin. They turned back when the door behind them closed itself, and several white, glowing spheres appeared from the wall. They revealed to be a swarm of Boos, laughing as they all flew into the coffin. Before the three’s eyes, a gigantic mummy emerged from the tomb, moaning as it brimmed with the Boos’ energy. _“Muuu, muuuu.”_ It shook the ground as it stepped slowly, holding its arms out and ready to crush the trio. (Play Death Sword’s Theme from _Zelda: Twilight Princess_.)

 

_Boss fight: Mummboo_

The mummified giant reached down to grab the group, but it was too slow as the three ran different directions. There were several loose parts dangling from it, and some torches around the arena’s ledge, so Bender grabbed some dangles and tried to pull them, only for the mummy to yank him upward and smash him against the wall. Nebula just tricked the mummy into punching at her, running by the torches to make its dangles burn. After getting four dangles to burn, the wraps became more loose. Bender, who was still in a ditch in the wall, took notice of a glowing white hole in the beast’s back. “Guys, look! It’s a weak spot! He-Hey- OW!” He fell off the wall and thudded.

With that, Nebula whipped out the V.I.S.S.I.L.E. and fired a missile, zipping past the mummy’s head and turning around to pierce its glowing exposed spot. _“OOOOoooooh…”_ The mummy tumbled and broke into a bunch of Boos, which began rolling around the air and trying to ram the group. Bender recovered and saw a circle of spotlights pointing at each other on the ceiling, so the robot reached up and bent them to point downward. They led the Boos into the lights and disapparated them before Mummboo got back on its feet.

The mummy lashed several wrapping ends from its fingers and caught Nebula and Bender, beginning to fling them up-and-down like mannequins. With Vweeb having gone unnoticed, he used his ray gun to burn those strands, dropping his friends down as the mummy shook his fingers, stomping as strands unraveled by his feet. They noticed tiny holes appear on the front of his feet, so Vweeb hurried into the left one (their left). He shot some crittering spiders as he progressed through a dusty tunnel, finding a dusty old bone that struggled to link the leg with the body. Vweeb shot the bone and caused its right leg to collapse. _“Ooooohhh.”_

It began hopping around on its left leg, making shockwaves as it shook the ground. The more it shook, Nebula could see a mirror sticking up from its kneecap. She told Bender to try and hold the mummy in place, and he did by reaching to wrap his arms around his waist. Mummboo wobbled on his leg as Nebula approached the mirror and shrunk herself through her reflection. She then entered the hole in the foot and shot her way through another tunnel of spiders. When she reached the bone, she blasted it with her grenade, then fell out of the leg once it unraveled.

Bender grabbed the dropped mirror and held it up so Nebula could re-expand. When the mummy fell, more Boos were blown out, so Bender bent more lights down to make them fade. The mummy got back up again, but without legs, it instead launched its hand-strands to the ceiling and hung from there. It shook the ceiling, making boulders fall, as well as some of the lights. The boulders were easy to dodge, but they waited eagerly for an opening to present itself. Finally, Nebula saw a Boulder Wisp drop from one of the rocks, the alien dizzy from the impact, and its color blending with the ground.

Nebula absorbed the Wisp and saw a Grav-Path appear around the walls. “BOULDER!” Nebula rolled and sped up the walls, avoiding the mummy’s boulders as the path led her into its right hand. It smashed the hand, so it only held on with its left now, shaking the ceiling more furiously as boulders fell faster. They avoided the rocks more quickly until a Brown Wisp came out, so Nebula absorbed again. “BOULDER!” She zipped up the Grav-Path, but this time boulders were falling in front of her. She was able to shoot to a parallel Grav-Path to avoid them, and kept up this cycle until she finally rammed into the left hand.

 _“Oooooh!-”_ He collided with the ground, releasing another swarm of Boos. There were only a few more spotlights, but they were enough to catch the fleeing ghosts and make them vanish. Due to all the shaking, the ceiling crumbled and exposed a bright beam of light that shone on the mummy’s body. It helped itself up as best it could, reaching for the light in despair. _“Oooooooo ooooo…”_ It collapsed and dissolved into thousand-year-old dust. One single, tiny Boo emerged from the dust, looking around frantically before the light made it pop. “Uuu-uwaaaah- _AAAH!”_ (End song.)

_

Here lies the tomb of Pharaoh Stompinbuttin, the largest pharaoh to ever live. Many countries were crushed under his rule. If only he wasn’t so clumsy…

_

With the monster defeated, the following door opened, allowing them into a large chamber with an altar that had a pharaoh’s statue over it. On the sides of the room were coffins, and the pharaoh’s coffin rested on top of the altar. They stepped up for a closer view of the golden coffin, and also saw a rock wall leading to a ray of light on the ceiling. “Heyyy… it’s Hamenthotep!” Bender recognized.

Vweeb hopped onto a flat stone on the floor with Egyptian symbols inscribed on it. “Hey guys, look! It’s a tablet!”

Nebula picked up the small stone piece, squinting her eyes at the strange symbols. “I wish I understood Egyptian…”

“Step aside: I’m a professional translator.” Bender declared as he took and examined the tablet. After carefully scanning and reviewing it, it all became clear. “Oooooh!…”

**Outside; the town**

The High Priest and the townspeople went about their business when the entrance to Hamenthotep’s tomb was suddenly thrust open, and Bender, Nebula, and Vweeb appeared from the cloud of dust. “We’re back, babeh!” Bender cheered.

“The pharaoh has returned! His spirit is not satisfied with our lazy lifestyle!!” A citizen screamed as everyone gasped.

“Relax, you guys, Bender isn’t your pharaoh anymore.” Nebula told them. “He never was to begin with, so we’ll take him off this planet and let you get on with your lives.”

“Alas… it seems Osiris may go eternally without a pharaoh.” The High Priest sighed.

“Well, maybe that’s how it was supposed to be all along.”

“What?”

Nebula pulled out the stone tablet and gave it to the priest. “It’s the last command of the Pharaoh Hamenthotep. It was probably hidden in his tomb by corrupt officials.”

“Ahhhh, them advisers.” Vweeb said.

_“To my slaves… I fear my time as pharaoh will not last long. My advisers are seeking the position of pharaoh. They believe the gods are looking onto them. But know that I am truly grateful for your hard work. May my tomb be the last construction of forced labor Osiris will see. Once my tomb is complete… I command all slaves to be free. On my journey away from the planet, I saw many things. Many people… living in harmony across the galaxy. I wish for my people to have this harmony, too. I realize… a life of forced labor does not grant peace. From now on… the only labor I wish to see in this country… is free. …Uh, I mean, labor of your free choice, not the other kind. Oh, and you should get paid, too.”_

“But the irony is, the advisers were buried along with the pharaoh.” Nebula mentioned. “We found their bones down in the tomb. ’Guess the Wall of Prophecy didn’t _prophesize_ in their favor.”

“We made margaritas outta their skulls!” Bender exclaimed, raising two skulls with drinks and straws in them. He proceeded to drink.

“Hmmm… then so it is written. The age of slavery in Osiris has come to an end.” The High Priest decided. “Osiris is a free country now. But I fear how we’ll progress without a leader.”

“Why don’t you be leader?” Vweeb asked.

“Hmm… very well. Then I am now… the High President of Egypt!”

“YAAAAAY!”

“Thank you for finding this, odd-haired one.” Nebula made a weirded face at this. “You may take the glowing gem with you, as your reward: a treasure that pharaohs have passed down to the next for generations.”

“Don’t MIND if Ah do!” Bender declared as he checked to see the fragment in his compartment.

“Hm hm! Thanks!” Neb smiled. “Oh… but there’s something else we need: our ship is kinda busted, and we need it fixed as soon as possible.”

“The ghooost of Bender commaaands it. OooOOOOooooo…” Bender moaned.

“Our country is rich with the finest materials. We will assist you any way we can.”

“We really appreciate it.” Nebula nodded.

“However, there is one thing that interests me:” said the priest. “Are you, by chance, a Zathurian?”

“Um… well, yeah, half one. How’d you know?”

“Ages ago, your people visited our planet. They bestowed on us, their powerful Shadow Cards: magical cards that contain the souls of monsters, and awakened when called to battle.”

“Hey… I think my mom used to have some of those.”

“Really? Such cards have been lost for ages. ’Tis recorded in our Great History.”

“Heheh… my mom’s in tune with the oldies.”

“But wouldn’t something of that name have to do with the _Shadow_ Realm?” Vweeb asked.

“Perhaps… ’twere there only a way to look at history firsthand. There’s so much we can learn…” Priest said.

“Well, we do know a few timebenders!” Nebula smiled. “They might be willing to lend us a hand!”

“Hm hm hm! Ones who know the ways of time… are not the most reasonable when sharing such.”

“Hm hm! Anyway… it’s been a great visit. We’ll come back if we need anythi-”

 _“Let’s GO, already!”_ Bender yelled from the distance.

“Please… just take him.” The priest said.

**Sometime later**

The Shooting Star was soon fixed as the three heroes took off for space, waved off by the Osirins. “Those guys were pretty fun.” Vweeb smiled.

“Not the most exciting planet we visited, but hey, at least we accomplished somethin’.” Neb said.

“Ah’ll miss them. Some o’ them made nice stools.” Bender said.

“This outfit isn’t bad, though.” Nebula said as she studied her princess uniform. “I might stick with it… well, maybe on occasions.”

“It _does_ make you look more attractive.” Vweeb smirked.

“How pleasant. ‘Course, putting you next to me in these clothes, I’m like a filthy rich princess and you’re my loyal servant.” She smirked.

“Didn’t we already settle that back on Amazonia??”

“I’m feeling fairly royal now. I think I deserve a footrub.”

“Find an acid bath and call it a day. That’s what clowns do and you fit the bill.” With that, the two friends laughed.

“Aw, geez…” Bender sighed.

 

**And so ends another world, er, level really. But hey, some foreshadowing! S’yeah, this is the same basic plot from _Futurama_ , where Bender becomes a pharaoh, then they bury him. But this time Bender wanted to be pharaoh for the heck of it, ‘cause he’s Bender. :P Next time, we’ll continue with the journey, and maybe see what Sector DR’s doing. Hehe, I actually like Nebula’s Egyptian outfit! ;3 Later!**


	15. Tornadus, the Unlivable Planet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Team Nebula search for a Zathurian Artifact on Tornadus. But first, a trip to the aquarium!

**Siiiigh… sorry guys, feeling a little sick right now. That’s gonna put a step in things. Anyway, we’re gonna do… STUFF. Oooorr somethin’.**

****

**_

Chapter 14: Tornadus, the Unlivable Planet

_**

****

**Shooting Star; in space for the buhmillionth time**

“Ahhhh feels nice to be in my regular clothes again.” Nebula sighed, once again dressed in her black tux.

“You said it.” Vweeb agreed.

“Now that that’s done, let’s start looking for the next fragment as soon as possible. Find any more Nether Rifts, Pollyx?” she asked in her communicator.

_“When are you gonna be here with my pizza?! And it better have anchovies!”_

“Uhhh… Pollyx?”

_“Oh! It’s, eh… you guys. Ahem, er, how did it go?”_

“Well, it could’ve gone simpler.” She glared at Bender, who was casually laid back in his seat. “Any news on Nether Rifts?”

_“Actually, you’re gonna like this! They’ve just opened the new Gravity Aquarium along Theed Harbor in Naboo, Aquaria! A Space Rift is being detected there, too. So while you’re looking for that, send me a few photos, why don’t you!”_

“Well, photography was my 8th hobby.” Bender replied. “So I’ll be happy to send you some photos! At a cost of 49 dollars and 100 cents each.”

_“Ohhhh. Better get my credit card.”_

“A nice little aquarium tour does sound fun.” Nebula smiled. “As long as no jerks are drawing faces on the octopuses. Let’s go.”

“I beLIEVE the correct plural is ‘octo _pi_.’” Bender corrected.

**Planet Glacia**

After following Aurora’s direction (even though they didn’t know it was her), Sector DR landed on a dark, blizzarding mountain in Planet Glacia. The four kids stepped out with the Shy Guys, who were quickly shuddering from the cold. After the first few steps, a pack of four White Wolfos came out from the snow, snarling with hunger. They lunged all at once.

In a flash, Sugar had them all turned into toys. The kids kept walking. “Any idea why we stopped just then?” Doffy asked.

“Mm-mm.” Sugar shrugged.

“Brrr-r-r-r!” Numbuh Sweetie-1 shuddered. “It’s so cold! We didn’t we bring coats!”

“Doyyyy! I’m dressed nice and warm-daizokun!” Bison noted. “You made of weapons, you have no feelings!”

“THAT is incredibly hurtful!” Sweetie yelled.

“You fat keep you warm.” Sugar said to Bison.

“I’m not fat!! I’m big-boned-daizokun!”

“What are we doing out here, anyway? We don’t even know if Caesar is on this planet, let alone this particular area.” Sweetie noted.

“My dad told me Mom used to have a cabin out here. ’Said if she had something to do with this, we should look here.”

They discovered an old log cabin that looked like it’s been abandoned for ages. When they were just inches from entering, two worn-out security turrets emerged from either side of the door. _“L-Look! …Intruders… at last…”_ One said as they shivered.

_“Cuah-cough… Waiting too long… can’t…”_

Doflamingo easily sliced them with his strings. With that, they broke open the door’s lock and entered the cabin. It was dark, but their presence caused candles to light up. _“Beeeep. Beeeep.”_ A small red light above the door began blinking also, making a quiet alarm.

“Oooo we’re so terrified.” remarked Doffy. The four searched the cabin, finding pictures of Mom with some old, wrinkly scientist, another with a bald, white-mustached scientist (Gerald Robotnik), one where she’s slapping her 3 boys, and one where she petted a baby donkey that kicked one of her employees; who grew up to be the donkey that kicks employees out when they get fired.

“No sign of a secret hideaway.” Bison mentioned.

Doflamingo found a book on a small table by the couch. “‘Ancient Technologies of the Universe’?” He opened the cover. “This book was checked out of the Great Library 42 years ago.” He flipped pages before reaching a bookmarked page. “‘Iris Supercomputer: The oldest living artificial intelligence, next to the Great Clock.’ I never heard of any of these.”

“Maybe you can find out if you read more.” Sugar suggested, half-sarcastic.

Doffy did so; not that he needed Sugar’s suggestion. “‘The IRIS Supercomputer is the second-oldest known piece of artificial intelligence, constructed over two million years ago. From its lone asteroid, it observes events across the universe with its hi-def super-zoom-in camera and collects data. Its knowledge is beyond those of mortal beings, obviously because of its years, and is one of the greatest pieces of technology developed by Terachnoids.’”

“Didn’t your dad say that Mom bought a Terachnoid company or something?” Sweetie asked.

“(The more you use ‘dad’ and ‘Mom’ in those stances, I keep thinking Doffy’s dad married Mom.)” Bison noted.

“Yes, she did…” Doffy responded (to Sweetie, not Bison). “And the Terachnoids are known to be a very scientific people. It’d be no surprise if Caesar was operating on their planet.”

“So how do we find it-daizokun?” Bison asked.

Doflamingo checked back at the front cover. “Perhaps someone who works at the Great Library will be able to tell us. Planet Bespin. Let’s go look for it, shall we?”

“I hope you remember to ask for directions.” Sugar stated.

“Yeah, yeah.” Doffy frowned, shutting the book. “I’ll do it so you- Huh?” He noticed a tiny slip of paper fall out from the book. He picked it up and unfolded, seeing a map. “They’re coordinates… for Planet Coruscant. Specifically, Axiom City, the Terachnoid capital. HA HAAA!” He yelled in Sugar’s face. “Who’s asking for directions NOW!!”

“You’re stupid, Brother.”

“Yeah, but I got charm!”

They walked out of the cabin as the Shy Guys were throwing snowballs, freezing others in snowmen, or living in igloos as some pretended to be parents while others acted like children, being spoon-fed bowls of snow. “Quit the games and let’s ride, you guys!” Doffy demanded. “We’re off to save a clown!”

**With John Fett and Aurorra; somewhere in space**

“What? Are you kiddin’ me?” John said into his communicator. “Siiigh. Well, that’s just _dandy_.”

“What is it?” Aurorra asked.

“Sector V whooped Daddy’s ass and got away from Sargasso.”

“Well, what’d you expect, he’s only one hunter.”

“Yeah, but Dandy was there, too, unless those kids slipped by him somehow. To think he succeeded in nabbing them, too. Sigh, ’guess we gotta look for ‘em again.”

“We’re still supposed to be looking for that Nebula girl. Coulda had her if those pirates woulda butted out.”

“Totally; wouldn’t even know where to begin tracking her. One minute she’s on Legola, then it’s Osiris…”

“I heard she actually visited this one planet twice. Some barren planet close to Endor.”

“Why would she wanna fly _there_ again?”

“I dunno. Secret hideaway?”

“Wouldn’t hurt to check out. Let’s go.”

**Mecha Jungle**

The two hunters arrived and landed on the once-barren planet, and were surprised at what they saw, stepping out of the Wolfens. “…The hell are they?” John asked. Roaming the landscape were what appeared to be robotic cavemen, wielding metal clubs and dragging robotic animals to tubs of molten metal, likely to cook them for dinner.

Aurorra pulled out a scanner and reported, “No signs of any lifeforms on this planet.”

“Then these’re all robots. Wonder who put them here?”

“Don’t know. But didn’t a report say that _dinosaurs_ were here?”

“So this planet jumped a whole evolutionary stage.”

After exploring the jungle for a few minutes, the two wandered into a cave with drawings painted on the walls (which were actually convoluted blueprints for machines). “I don’t see why Nebula would wanna come here, though.” John said.

“If she was looking for something, she probably already found it. …But what’s that?”

They noticed a group of cavemen drawing symbols around a pixelized graffiti art of Bender, and also laying oil cans before it. “Isn’t that one of those graffiti things some robot’s been leavin’ across the galaxy?” John asked.

“Yeah. And didn’t Mom say some defective robot started hanging out with Nebula? The same one who left these marks?”

“Just what’s he leavin’ them for, anyway?…”

**Naboo, Aquaria; Gravity Aquarium**

The Shooting Star landed outside the aquarium as Neb, Vweeb, and Bender stepped out. “Guys, can we just skip the pre-stage dialogue and get on with it?” Bender asked.

“Well, it’s not like we ever have anything important to say.” Nebula figured. “Let’s go.” (Play “Surfshine Harbor” from _Paper Mario: Sticker Star_.)

 

_Stage 17: Gravity Aquarium_

_Mission: Find the Nether Rift and acquire a new ability._

The aquarium was bustling with alien citizens, all staring with wonder at many glass domes holding all kinds of fish. However, the domes were not actually glass. Don’t forget, it’s called a Gravity Aquarium. They were actually bubbles of water floating in place, held together by gravity, some on the floor and some in the air. The door across the first room was closed by yellow tape, and the alternate door on the second-floor walkway was locked. They entered a left door instead, and this room contained a single large bubble where many Cheep Cheep were swimming in several circles, with a key in the center. Nebula dove in the floating water and navigated around the classic fish enemies to grab the key.

They returned to the first room and had to swim up two Gravity Bubbles, where Rip Van Fish tried to attack them when they dove in. The snoozing fish were easy to avoid as they reached the second floor and entered the locked door. There were several columns of water, and a Baby Unagi was sticking its head out one of their holes. The three approached it, but it backed into the hole and came out the top of another column, where they could see a key attached to its tail. Bender reached to try and grab it, but the Unagi quickly swam back into the hole. Each of the top and bottom holes was connected to another at random, so Nebula had to swim through each one before she was able to sneak up on the Unagi and take its key.

They opened another door on their right, leading to a room with a very wide column that seemed to stretch up several floors. The three swam up (except Vweeb, who hid in Nebula’s mouth), having to avoid Bloopers and Boss Bass, which were big-mouthed Cheep Cheep that tried to eat their prey. A gate was blocking the exit at the top with bars that were horizontal and vertical, so even Bender wouldn’t be able to leave enough room if he bent them. Which was odd, ‘cause he was so great. They swam back and found a lever on one of the sides, but when Nebula flipped it, it was pulled back by a Mini Frogoon’s tongue. She kept trying to pull it, but the Frogoon kept it in place, until Bender decided to punch and knock it out.

They finally flipped the lever and opened the gate, so they swam to the top and resurfaced. They headed into a door on the left, leading to a wide room where several vertical and horizontal columns moved in and out of holes in the wall or ceiling, and were all above a lower floor which essentially didn’t have anything of value. They were on a ledge overlooking this, and next to them was another column from the lower floor, which they would use to get back up if they fell. They saw bubble currents sucking into the holes, and when the columns were fully extracted, the very ends were free of current.

They jumped to the first one’s end and had to do so with the other ones, careful not to fall in the currents. When they reached two columns hanging from the ceiling, they had no choice but to get in the currents, but had to come out the sides and fall to a lower point of the other to keep from sucking up. They waited for the next horizontal column to extract all the way so they could jump to its end. From there, they reached a small platform with the next door (wait, are people actually expected to swim these courses just to get around the aquarium??).

They entered a dark room that was alit by columns of colorful jellyfish, with a different colored group in each column. There were 3 of them scattered around a maze, in which the walls were only a foot high, but the columns couldn’t be lifted of course, only pushed around. There was a purple spot, an orange spot, and a green spot around the maze, each meant for the different colors to be placed. And of course, only Bender had the strength to push these columns, so he took the liberty of navigating them around the maze. Once all were placed in their rightful spot, the wall on the left of the room slid open to reveal a watery tunnel.

They dove in and began another exciting swim-through, having to evade exploding Puftups. Ahead was a row of currents sucking into holes on the ground, but a Space Light was in the middle hole. However, Nebula couldn’t make Space Blocks while in the water, but near the right wall was an air bubble where Nebula could stand on the ground and breathe. Since she was technically on land, she could make the Space Block appear over the middle current, allowing them to swim across. The tunnel slowly led downward and snaked left, and giant eels called Gringills emerged from holes to try and snack on them.

At the tunnel’s end, a Puftup was clogging a pipe, and it was much too thick to push through. There was a water mine by a pile of boulders, and another boulder up the slope that could be used to push into the mines. But instead, Nebula shoved Bender against the mines and blew them up like that, revealing another air bubble under the ruined pile. She got on the land spot and used Space Shrink to minimize the Puftup, causing it to suck into the pipe’s current. With that, they swam into the pipe as well, pouring out into a small room where the water flowed down a barred drain.

They went in the next door, which led to another wide-open room, where they stood on a ledge on the highest point, and the next door was at the bottom on the parallel side. All this room had was a great long electrical eel inside a floating wormlike tunnel of water, which took up its whole body. It wore a goofy smile as it waited for prey to fall in, so it could zap them to death. The trio couldn’t just drop to the bottom, ‘cause around the door was a pool of electric eels. There was a path around the larger eel’s bubble, which they were able to walk on thanks to a Gravity Path. The path was zigzaggy as usual, so they had to be careful not to slip and fall.

After they reached the door, they entered a fairly small room that had three columns on the right side, and a small watery dome on a stand on the left. The 3 columns each contained a classic Zelda boss, only scaled down, who were Morpha, Gyorg, and Morpheel. And the small dome on the opposite side contained a single Chinese fighting fish, who looked really happy to have company. The plaque on the front read, _Here is author Gamewizard’s prized Chinese fighting fish, which he’s simply named Fish. The latest and the best of his series of fighting fishes, as he’s remained alive for more than a year. If he bites you, it’s just his way of being friendly. And don’t forget to drop him some turkey!_

After they were done sightseeing, they entered the next room, which had another large dome with a T-rex at the top, unable to swim and struggling to float in place. There was a clam in the middle of the ground, opening and closing for brief seconds, and when it opened, they could see a Bender Marking. Nebula snapped the picture before walking around the dome, seeing they were behind the door that was closed off at the beginning. But as it would happen, the Nether Rift appeared over this door, so Nebula jumped inside to do the trial.

 **Netherverse** (Play “Clank in the Netherverse.” You should know what game, so try to keep up.)

She was in yet another eerie cave, which had many floating ghostly green bubbles. She jumped and swam across the bubbles to cross the first chasm, then fell over a wall to dive in some water, swimming into a tunnel of alien jellyfish. It was pitch-dark, alit only by the jellyfish, in which Nebula had to stay near them when Underhands were reaching out to try and take her in the darkness. She also had to swim with schools of tiny glowing fish, who bore creepy frowny expressions and one eyeball.

She resurfaced on a ledge before a deep chasm, which had several mechanical platforms floating over it, too scattered to jump to. Instead, she followed a stairway on the right that led to a higher walkway, leading over the chasm before she was dropped off on the other side. She then had to drop down a series of holes, one after another, and each had a pool of water below it with a big jellyfish inside. The 4th hole finally led her to the cave’s end, where she picked up a glowing sphere that contained another power.

**Nebula learned _Space Lightning_! The power to shock things is now in her hands. Literally! With this, she can charge electrical generators or stun enemies for a short time! Of course, it has a limit in power for combat…**

Of course, her first test was to use her power to get out of the cave. In the water hole where a jellyfish waited, Nebula zapped lightning inside to make it shake with energy and come to the top. She was able to bounce on its head to get up out of the hole. (Cue the “Netherverse Chase” theme.) As always, when she was beginning to escape, the Nether woke up to chase her. _“GRAGRAHGRAGRAH- cough, cough, why do I have to keep making these silly sounds? I mean GRAGRAHGRAGRAHGRAGRAH-”_

Nebula made her way back up the holes, having to shock the jellyfish to use them as bounce pads. When she reached the open chasm, she couldn’t jump back to the higher path, so she had to shock a generator to activate the moving platforms, then had to wait ‘til the platforms moved close enough to each other to jump them, and also had to jump to avoid the Nether’s gnashes. After making it across, and before diving in the tunnel of water, she zapped the water and caused the many jellyfish inside to light it up completely.

All she had to do was navigate around other hazards and keep swimming straight to escape the Nether, and also had to get through fast before the jellyfishes’ charge wore off. When she reached the surface, she had to bounce the jellyfish at the end to get above the wall, and from there swim through the floating bubbles to reach the end. (End song.)

**Back at the aquarium**

Nebula succeeded in yet another escape and allowed the Nether to explode in its attempt to follow, blowing that wall of the aquarium down so they can reach the entrance faster. “I’m not gonna help you pay for that.” Vweeb stated.

“You’ll do it for the sake of the whole GKND.” Nebula kidded. “Anyway, I got my lightning power back.”

“Cool! That means you can attack people yourself now! Soon, you might be able to take down Tachyon!”

Meanwhile, Bender connected a cord to his camera and his head, allowing him to download the data snapped from these graffiti markings. His eyes and mouth sizzled like static, and his brain made a _DING!_ when he was finished. “Hey, guys, I just remembered somethin’! When I was leavin’ graffiti markings, I found one of those little pyramid things on some tornado planet! I was goin’ ta market it, but it got swept away. _Damn, lousy tornados…”_

“A tornado planet?” Nebula asked. “Was it Tornadus?”

“Well, the name seems to fit based on the things I encountered, so yeah.”

“Ohhhh nonononono!” Vweeb yelled. “No WAY am I going to THAT wasteland! Tornadus is freaking unlivable! Every Kateenian explorer that’s ever gone there was never heard from again! No one knows if they’re dead, or flying endlessly in the eye of one of the millions of tornados, living off whatever dead meat happens to get swept up!”

“Well, if Bender says he remembers seeing an artifact there, it’s the best clue we got.” Nebula stated. “If the planet is uninhabitable, at least we won’t have to worry about Drophyds or space-pirates there. Let’s see what it’s got.” With that, the crew began to leave the aquarium.

“Aaaaand will you be paying?” the manager asked Bender.

The robot easily socked him and took his wallet. “Hehehehehehehe!”

**Caesar’s Lab**

Caesar carefully dipped a grabber into a tub of chemicals and pulled out a Devil Fruit, dropping it inside a bag. “There, I’ve perfected my first series of Zoan Fruits. Now ALL your slimy soldiers can have the powers of beasts.” He grabbed the bags of fruits and tossed each to a Drophyd soldier in a line. “Lion Fruit for you, Turtle Fruit for you, Cow Fruit for you, and who could forget Mr. Platypus.”

“Hmph… well done.” Mom replied smugly. “Let’s hope they do a better half-ass job than those OTHER troopers.” Her communicator rang. “Speaking of half-ass jobs:” she answered to her son, Walt. “WHAT IS IT, you bastards?”

_“Mother, somebody triggered the alarm in your private getaway cabin. The security turrets’ cameras barely caught the glimpse of a pink-feathered being before they were destroyed. It could be your business rival, Doflamingo.”_

“DOFFY-SAMA?!” Caesar exclaimed with tears flowing down his wide-smiling face. “Is Doffy coming to save me?!”

“NO ONE’S coming to save your ass, you talking SPONGE!” Mom smacked him.

“Ow!”

“At least not on my watch! Place Killbots around every corner of the city in case those snots try a sneak attack! Whether Nebula comes here or that Flamingo bastard, I want ‘em BLASTED straight to Hell, understand me?!”

_“Yes, Mother, we called and opened several reserved spots in Hell. The dates are expiring soon, so we intend to hurry.”_

“Good. Now SLAP yourselves and let me get on with my business.”

 _“Yes Mother. OW- OW- Ow!”_ The three smacked their selves before transmission ended.

**Tornadus atmosphere**

The Shooting Star was approaching a purplish-blue planet where spiraling clouds could easily be seen from the atmosphere. When they entered the planet, they were immediately caught in the current of the endless storm of tornados, swerving uncontrollably as they searched for a place to land. “Does this planet even HAVE any real land?!” Nebula screamed.

“Too bad we didn’t bring a basement!” Bender yelled.

They eventually landed on a lone, flat asteroid hovering in midair. The wind was extremely rough as they stepped out. The planet appeared to be nothing but tornados, as far as the eye could see. …Which wasn’t very far in all this chaos.

“Whoooo _ooooaaa!”_ Vweeb was immediately blown away by the powerful winds, but Bender stretched up and grabbed the little guy, pulling him back down.

“No doubt, this is the LAST place anyone would look for an artifact.” Nebula knew. “You sure it was around this area, Bender?”

“As sure as I’ve been about a lot of other things.”

“Anyway, keep Vweeb in your compartment until we’re done; this is no paradise for little people.”

“Okay. But you better not steal my secret stash!” the robot told Vweeb as he stashed him in his stomach. “Boy, people must’ve been building a lot of trailers here to have this many tornados.”

“Hm hm, that is the tornados’ ultimate purpose. That’s why I take space over air any day…” (Play “Isle of Songs” from _Zelda: Skyward Sword_.)

 

_Stage 18: Tornado Valley_

_Mission: Find the Zathurian Artifact._

A large gap divided them and the next pathway, but other rock platforms were floating up with the wind, and Nebula and Bender used them as footholds to jump across, before they were sucked in the tornados. They reached a thin stairway that went up and around a tornado, and was also hovering thanks to the tornado’s wind. They had to avoid some debris shooting over from the right and into the cyclone, but they soon reached the top of the stairs to find another set of floating platforms. Nebula hovered to the platforms while Bender stretched across. The platforms listed forward and backward, so they had to wait ‘til they were close enough to jump to them.

They soon reached another stairway that led downward, with another tornado on their right. It was connected to a levitated ruin, in which the two followed a path through some ruined structures until a tornado spun by and destroyed the continuing path. A set of Space Lights led to the next platform, but when Nebula formed the blocks, the tornado brushed by again and wiped them out. Nebula formed the blocks again, but the two had to jump them quickly before the tornado returned. They made it to a wider path where many smaller tornados roamed, but still notably larger than them.

When one of the whirlwinds was coming at them, Nebula tried tossing grenades at it, but this proved fruitless as the two were swept inside. “Ay-ye-ye- WHOOAAAH-HAAAAH!” screamed Bender as they were sent blowing back to the start of this road. They noticed some stone handles embedded in the ground, so when they approached the first tornado, they grabbed the first handle and held tight as the whirlwind tried to suck them, eventually disappearing when it failed. There was a pile of boulders near the next tornado, so Nebula fired a V.I.S.S.I.L.E. and blew them up to reveal another handle. Before the whirlwind came at them, they grabbed the handle to avoid its windy suction.

This pattern repeated a few more times until they reached a lone tornado at the end, which caught and blew them straight upwards, landing them on a path of solid clouds. It was a little foggy, but when they walked forward, another storm of tornados lay in their wake. They followed another long, floating, thin stairway that snaked around a few tornados. Debris also spun around the cyclones and swept over the path, so they had to avoid again. Among that debris were mooing cows, mailboxes, and some fat guy with a big nose and black hair (who they remembered as Billy’s Dad from _Billy and Mandy_ ).

A few meters to their right was a tornado that was carrying a farm, looping around it over and over. On the side of that barn was a large Bender Marking, so when it looped around again, Nebula quickly took the picture. _“Hehehehehehe!”_ The stairs soon led them onto a small, floating ruin that had some kind of lightning rod device, seated on a ledge overlooking an empty chasm. Nebula shocked the device with Space Lightning, making it shoot lightning up to the heavens for a row of tornados to come down. The tornados moved to either side, making two parallel rows as rock platforms began to rise from the ground, floating straight up. Nebula and Bender simply jumped across the platforms, having to float/stretch to each one.

At the end of the platforms was a floating capsule containing a Rocket Wisp. “ROCKET!” Nebula absorbed and began soaring across the windy lands while Bender rode her. Debris was coming at them from the left, so Nebula had to shift up or down depending on their altitude. They flew into another tornado, which spiraled them around and redirected them leftward. More debris appeared and floated in their path, at different altitudes so they had to move up or down, but the debris were closer together, so it was harder to avoid. They still made it and spun in another tornado, flying right again as barns rose from below, or sunk from above. Yeah, the Rocket Wisp patterns don’t really change up much. They had to squeeze between two barns before finally taking land on a platform.

They jumped their way down another set of platforms, approaching what seemed like a small, floating castle, and behind it, the largest tornado they’ve ever seen. The wind grew even stronger, drowning out any other sound. They walked up the castle’s short stairway, and found the Zathurian Artifact before the doorway. (End song.)

“Ahh, here it is!” Bender exclaimed, picking it up. “Told you it was near!”

Nebula looked around curiously. “What a strange castle. I can’t imagine who would wanna live here.”

 _“Well, these are ruins, after all.”_ Vweeb reminded from Bender’s stomach. _“Maybe there used to be civilization here, before the tornados came.”_

“More history to look in to… Anyway, let’s see this artifact.” She took the pyramid from Bender and let it scan her eyes. Another message appeared in the foreign language Nebula was accustomed to.

“‘You, who is descended from the Clan of Space, blah blah blah,’ that’s actually what it says, ‘seek the 6 pieces that will make our invention whole. The next of the Dimensional Fragments lies within the mines of Galaxia’s Sun. However, know the unbearable scorching temperatures will have you evaporated in seconds, without special fermion-barrier heat-exclusion spray, a product of the Terachnoids. Good luck, and beware the darkness and all that repetitive crap.’”

 _“Fermion Spray?”_ asked Pollyx. _“Oh, I know that stuff! How could I not? We Terachnoids are very sensible to sunlight, you see, so we use Fermion Spray, a special sunscreen that protects from any rising temperature!”_

“So is your race _naturally_ nocturnal, or did that just happen?” Bender asked. “Ahhhh ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!”

 _“Ohhhh!”_ Pollyx grumbled. _“Unfortunately, I left my supply of Fermion Spray in my lab on Coruscant. Eh, I could send Sector V over there to retrieve it real quick.”_

“How can you contact them?” Nebula asked.

_“Why, they’re here with Jerome, of course! The Star Haven was preoccupied by Drophyds, so there was no WAY they could stay THERE.”_

“Well, that’s good, I guess. Tell them the location of your lab and have ’em get the spray. Then tell them to fly back there so we can get it.”

_“You got it. But if those runts touch my diary while they’re there, I’m docking pay outta you!”_

As the group began their dangerous journey back to their ship, Pollyx still spoke to them. _“Still, amazing how you navigated Tornadus with barely a scratch. I heard the only way you can possibly live on Tornadus, is if you were a Logia airbender.”_

Nebula scoffed, “Pfft, I can’t think of ANY airbender who would find a storm like THIS pleasant…”

**Inside the castle**

Within the blackness of the castle (which was essentially just one big room), a shadowed being sat alone on a throne, facing an open hole in the wall just inches from the colossal tornado. The being opened a single, glaring red eye, seeing a tiny newspaper zooming around in the cyclone. When it zipped by him, the man grabbed the paper and began to read, seeing a picture of Emperor Tachyon standing high on his throne, holding his scepter.

“Hmmm… well, it’s not the worst thing to happen in the universe. I guess I should head back to Earth soon. … …”

 

**So yeah, I’m sorry for the horrendously boring chapter, but I’m too sick to make bigger fusses of these stages. Yeah, the atmospheres of these stages are relatively peaceful to begin with. But the only real major significance this chapter has, is showing that shadowed dude. Won’t tell you who he is, but he’s the only person that could find an environment like Tornadus livable. ;I Soooo CUOUGH, next time we’ll head after the next fragment. And hopefully I’ll feel better. Later.**


	16. Sunny Excavation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In the search for the 4th Dimension Fragment, things get a bit sunny.

**Hokay, welcome back to _NECSUS_. To make things clear, I’m saving the 20th stage to be, eh, somewhat special, so that’s why a stage is absent… eh, where it woulda been.**

**__**

**_Chapter 15: Sunny Excavation_**

 ** _Aloha Oe_ **

_A spray that makes you immune to any form of heat?_ Kirie asked. _Nasty sunburns are a thing of the past!_

“I still have mixed feelings about going to a world that Mom essentially controls.” Aurora said.

“Well, Pollyx said it was relatively safe, just mostly nerds talking about trading cards and anything that isn’t to do with physical activity.” Mason replied.

“Well, I think I know where I wanna move to.” Artie said simply.

“Nah, find me a music planet or don’t find anything at all.” Harry replied.

“I just wanna go back to Earth as soon as possible.” said Aurora. “Let’s hope we can get the Fermion Spray without any trouble.”

**Cloud City; Great Library**

Pollyx’s head was swimming with guilt as he stared out the window with worry. He could barely think as well as he wanted to, knowing he just sent Sector V to their deaths.

_“Listen up Pollyx, I got every square corner of Axiom City guarded by Killbots, ready to shred up any intruder that sets foot on the planet.” Mom reported through a phone call. “We were going to use them to burn Doflamingo’s ass if he came, but if you send Nebula or Sector V there, we can be done with ‘em nice and easy!”_

_“Ehh, wouldn’t it be cleaner to just throw them in jail?”_

_“They’re just gonna escape like they always do, and I’m tired of Tachyon bitching my ass off. The only way to deal with rats is to KILL them. And don’t you try to weasel out of it like a crab, ya crab. I don’t need to remind you what stake you have in this.”_

_“Ehhh… no.”_

_“Good. Now SEND those snotty kids to Axiom City so I can blow their brains out.”_

_“Ehh, but what should I tell them?”_

_“USE THE FIRST EXCUSE THAT COMES TO YOUR HEAD, YOU BASTARD!”_

Of course, that was before Pollyx heard about the Fermion Spray. Nebula provided the perfect excuse. But still… it didn’t sit right with him. As he looked out the window and saw the Shooting Star entering the atmosphere, ready to land in his library, he had no idea how he could face her. “Well, there’s always the slimmest chance Sector V will come through. Ohhhh…”

**Coruscant; above Axiom City**

“Ahhhhh, lookathis, guys: the planet of nerds.” Doflamingo announced. “Lot-a smart stuff happenin’ here. And the primary product distributed here, you guessed it, nasal spray.”

“Your mediocre nerd jokes are always humorous.” Sugar said sarcastically. 

“My jokes always bring laughter and joy!” his grin sparkled. “But enough chitchat! Let’s turn this place into a high school hallway and WASTE some nerds!”

The streets of Axiom City were crawling with Killbot troops, leaving no inch of the city unguarded. Sector DR’s Lego ship came straight down and began blasting with Lego lasers, and while they were plastic blocks, they still hurt like regular lasers. “Ahhhh! We’re being invaded!” a Killbot screamed. “Someone call 911-”

“SOMEBODY SAID ‘9/11’!” another screamed before shooting the previous.

The ship landed and scraped along the ground before Sector DR came out and charged for Pollyx Industries. Doflamingo Jr. swiftly jumped the Killbots’ bullet and lashed strings out to slice them perfectly.

“My Yipperman can turn Ultralord into human jelly!” yelled a Terachnoid nerd to his friend.

“Oh yeah? Does Yipperman have a time-space matter transporter, which he can use to warp to the Bogan System and save it from mutant zombie bears?”

“Um, no.”

“Can he rip a five billion foot robot in half like he was made of dust-cloth?”

“No…”

“So I ask you, what can Yipperman do, that is SO-”

“Gimme that!” Sweetie-1 yelled as she took the Yipperman. Killbots surrounded the area and readied to blast the weapon girl, but Sweetie aimed the head of the action-figure as it opened to reveal a sonic plasma cannon, which fired and destroyed every last robot without leaving a trace. She gave it back to the nerd before running after her friends.

“…” Immediately, the Ultralord nerd knelt down and bowed to his friend with the superior toy. “I am at your mercy.”

Doflamingo burst through the entrance to Pollyx Industries and lashed his strings all around, tearing up everything as the employees cowered and ducked under desks. He zipped to a random employee and got in his face with his usual grin. “Alright, Caesar’s lab: where is it?!”

“I-It’s in the basement! Please don’t break my nasal spray!”

“’Consider it!” And he zipped off.

After making his way to the basement, he smashed into Caesar’s lab, seeing it filled with all the material he uses for SMILEs. He finally saw the clown himself standing by a desk. “There he is!” He dashed over, excited to finally have his mission accomplished. “Let’s get outta here right-… Huh?”

 _“Shurorororo!”_ The hologram of Caesar sizzled. _“If you’re seeing this message, I’m afraid I have left for an extended vacation! So anyone who came looking for me is gonna have to turn around and never come- SAVE ME, Doffy-sama!!”_ he started crying. _“We’re in the- YOWWW!”_ He was shocked.

 _“JAM a bastard in it, you clod!”_ Mom yelled, shoving him aside. _“Listen, Bird Boy, I’ve taken Caesar, and if you try looking for us, I’ll run your company down like yesterday’s-”_

_“Abandoned Jedi Temple in-”_

_“DAAAAH!”_ She smacked him away. _“ALL THE LOAD-FILLED SACKS OF-”_ The recording ended.

“Huff, huff, we made it.” Sweetie-1 panted as they ran in.

“Nuuuu where’d Caesar go-daizokun?” Bison asked.

“He’s gone.” Doffy said as he began to walk out. “To the Jedi Temple most likely. And Mom might not just let us waltz in and take him: she could ruin Dad’s company by telling everyone he does business with Caesar.”

“That would expose her too, wouldn’t it?” Sugar asked.

“Yes, but she now has support of Galaxia’s ruler. She has more than enough power to get around these things. It’s all a matter of…” he grinned, “waiting. For the opportune moment. When Mom is provided with the perfect distraction, we’ll swarm the temple and take Caesar. But first… to find out where it exactly is. Seems we’ll be stopping by the library after all…” He pulled out to look at the book of ancient technologies.

**Sometime later…**

Not long after Sector DR left, Sector V entered Pollyx Industries H.Q. to find it in ruins. “Huh… Boy, a tornado musta hit.” Dillon figured.

“Well, at least we don’t need to worry ’bout security.” Haylee said.

Aurora approached an employee cowering under his desk and asked, “Hey, excuse me, but do you have any Fermion Spray we could borrow?”

“Here!” He tossed her a can. “Just take it and go! Leave me and my nasal medicine in peace!”

“Aww, I wanted to borrow that, too.” Artie frowned.

“Just get a tissue and let’s go.” Harry told him as they left.

As soon as they were gone, the Terachnoid pulled out his nasal spray and hugged it to his cheek. “I’ll never let you go.” With that, he sprayed some up his nose.

**Cloud City; Great Library**

Nebula, Vweeb, and Bender wandered around the library while Pollyx stood by the window twiddling his fingers. “Ehhh, Sector V sure is taking awhile, perhaps you ought to go check.”

“They only left a while ago, give them some time…” Nebula told him, looking suspicious.

“Hey, Professor, you’re missin’ a book here.” Bender mentioned, seeing an open spot in a shelf.

“Oh, that thing’s been missing for decades. Don’t even remember what it was or who checked it out. I guess I should’ve asked for those trackers, huh?”

“That reminds me Pollyx, where is your son, any-” Before Nebula could finish, they heard the roar of an engine outside.

“Sister! Sector V is back!” Jerome called.

“Th-They’re alive?!” Pollyx exclaimed. “Uh, I mean… I expected them to come back.”

They all hurried outside to find the _Aloha Oe_ landing, and Sector V soon rushed out. “Boy, you guys are back early.” Nebula said. “How’d it go so well?”

“The whole place was ransacked before we even got there.” Aurora replied. “The people looked like they saw a demon or something.”

“So not even a raging army of bloodthirsty Killbots?” Pollyx asked.

“No, but we saw these two nerds with action-figures, in which one was making the other his slave, so I assume there’s a ‘dominance’ thing goin’ on.” Artie explained.

“Anyway, we got some Fermion Spray from one of the nerds.” Aurora said as she tossed the can to Pollyx. “It didn’t HAVE to be yours in particular, right?”

“Ehhh… no.”

The professor proceeded to spray the yellow substance all over Nebula, Vweeb, and Bender’s bodies, and also sprayed the Shooting Star, too, so their skin and clothes were completely dark-yellow. “There. That spray provides the perfect skin-tight protection suit against high temperatures. If you wanted to, you could swim in a pool of lava. But I wouldn’t risk it. Normally it’s strong enough to last for more than a day, but if you’re walking around in the sun, I’d give it about 2 hours. So if you don’t find the fragment and get outta there before then, you’ll be roasted blacker than black.”

“’Course with Nebula, you could hardly tell much! Ha ha ha ha!” Vweeb joked.

“Racist joke is racist, Vweeb.” Nebula glared.

“Isn’t one of the morals of this story to acknowledge and appreciate different races?” he asked.

“Not like that.”

“Anyway, I’ll try to look into the location of the other fragments while you’re gone.” Pollyx told them. “With only 2 left after this one, I hope we can put all of this behind us.”

“Yeah, ‘cause before you know it, we’ll get called into another quest.” Aurora knew.

“Speakin’ of which, wonder what Cheren’s doing, anyway.” Chris said boredly.

“Getting worked up wondering where we are.” Aurora figured.

“Alright, let’s just go.” Nebula said as her group hopped in the Shooting Star. “We’d ask coordinates to the sun, but it’s a little hard to miss. Wish us luck!” And the ship lifted up and took off to the huge, glowing sphere in the sky.

**Approaching Galaxia’s Sun**

“Hwooooo. Hot diggity, that thing hot.” Bender said, squinting and shielding his eyes from the approaching sun.

“Well, of course. Galaxia’s Sun would be the _hottest_ point in Galaxia.” Nebula pointed out. “The Fermion Spray is enough to protect us, but we have to find the fragment fast if we don’t wanna end up Chop Socky Chooks.”

“The three chickens that got fried and served at SFC after their show got cancelled.” Vweeb recalled. “Huhuhu.” He shuddered.

“If the Sun Miners know anything about the fragment, that would make things easier. But, can’t always expect the easy route…” (Play “Phoenix Mountain” from _Kid Icarus: Uprising_.)

 

_Stage 19: Solar Mines_

_Mission: Look for the Dimensional Fragment._

The Shooting Star landed on a platform in the middle of a fiery sea, and the trio began their journey across a walkway, jumping gaps that had fireballs jumping from the lava. Ordinarily a scorching hot landscape like this would make them sweat all over, but with the Fermion Spray, it felt like normal, warm temperature. They turned left on the path and found a set of Ferris wheel-like devices, with platforms that moved to either side as they turned, and were dipped in the lava. When the platforms rose up on their side, they had to jump to the other before the platforms went in the lava. Once they crossed, they were approaching the entrance to the Sun Mines, where creatures made of fire were loading out cargo. 

“What’re these little sparklers?” Bender asked. 

“Solarans.” Nebula replied. “They mine the sun for rich minerals to fuel their people.” 

“Hey, I think my dad had a Solaran bully once!” Vweeb recalled. 

“All the aliens were your dad’s bullies.” Nebula remarked. “It’s just she was the only one with painful spit.” 

They reached a gaping tunnel that led down into the mines, and the gravity altered and allowed them to walk down the vertical path. Parts of the path looped around the tunnel’s walls and ceiling, in which the Gravity Path still allowed them to follow these routes, but it became a little dizzy to jump the platforms. They soon reached a small, underground village with houses built on scaffolds above the lava. Nebula approached a Solaran and asked, “Excuse me, we’re looking for a glowing pink fragment, like this one.” Bender held out one of their fragments. “Seen anything like it?”

“Nyarrrr. Rumors say a gem like that exists… deeeeep in the mines.” He pointed to a tunnel across the lava.

“Of course, where else would it be.” Vweeb stated.

“It was buried there… countless millennia ago. Likely melted by now… and if it’s not, it’s black instead-a pink. Try and find it if ya can… but by then, you’ll be roasted, too.”

“We’ll take our chances.” Neb said.

They followed a path into a right tunnel, which quaked and caused the path to split into several moving platforms. When the tunnel made a turn, there was no path to walk on, except for a Gravity Path along the left wall. That path was bent outward however, so Bender stretched to grab and bend it flat again. They followed the path around the turn to another tunnel, which led them back to the town area, across from the area they just were. They followed a minecart track into the indicated tunnel from earlier, having to jump flaming minecarts that sped from ahead. There were also little flame creatures called Hotheads flying around, which Nebula was able to put out using the S.P.O.U.T..

They reached an open room where Drophyds ambushed them, wearing Fermion Spray as well. The kids dodged as the Cyclocannon sped forward, and Bender got behind to stretch and grab its wheels, yanking them off its sides. The Drophyd pilot was exposed to the heat, frying into a fishstick. Nebula ran around and shot the Drophyd Troopers with the S.P.O.U.T., flinging them up in the air as she focused on an Enforcer. Bender wrapped his arms around its legs to bend them up, making the robot fall as Nebula destroyed its cockpit with the V.I.S.S.I.L.E., making him fry. When the S.P.O.U.T. dropped the other Drophyds and broke their helmets upon landing, they turned into fishsticks immediately. 

They turned toward their next tunnel, in which they had to use a mechanical device with long legs to walk across a river of lava. Nebula activated the device using Space Lightning as it began to walk across. There were geysers of fire spewing from the walls, so they had to flip a lever to make the legs squat or stand straight, depending on the geysers’ height. They stepped off on the floor at the end and looked down the next tunnel, which was essentially another lava river. There were metal devices lodged in the walls, in which Nebula launched V.I.S.S.I.L.E.s into the weak spots to make them fall out, revealing grind rails that all connected once Nebula knocked them down.

Neb and Bender began to grind the rails further into the mines. Nebula had to toss grenades at other weak targets to knock more rails down, so they could jump to them when previous rails ended. Hotheads were also trying to swoop at them, so they jumped when they did so. The rail directed into a hole, landing them at the start of a new tunnel. They hurried down as more Drophyds came to battle them, launching grenades that the trio dodged. Nebula caught some on the S.P.O.U.T.’s geysers, then tossed N.I.N.S.T.A.R.s while they were airborne. Bender grabbed a few of the short walls (meant to be used as shields) and bent them to sharp points, so when the Drophyds came down, their suits were stabbed.

They kept following the tunnel and arrived at another town, which had a huge tunnel sealed by a pile of flaming boulders. A single Drophyd landed in the middle, and they watched as he transformed into a man-sized chameleon, along with his suit, thanks to the Lizard-Lizard Fruit, Model: Chameleon. He turned invisible and leapt to one of the many buildings on scaffoldings. He was launching missiles from his hidden point, but Vweeb shot the missiles while Nebula launched a V.I.S.S.I.L.E. to locate the Drophyd, spotting him on the side of a building and attacking him.

The Drophyd dropped and charged at the group, who jumped as it swung its tail. Bender grabbed the tail and hauled him over to bend the lizard forward, but the Drophyd began rolling around and running them over. Bender jumped it when it rolled at him, stretched his arms to catch the rolling lizard, then flung him like a slingshot into the pile of burning boulders, breaking his glass helmet and turning him to a lizard-fishstick. With that, they noticed some Space Lights leading up the beams holding up some of the buildings, so Nebula formed Space Blocks for them to jump their way up.

Once they were at the buildings’ level, they swung a G.R.A.P.P.L.U.H. target to reach another set of buildings. They then jump up the buildings to reach a platform that had a huge drill, which sat atop a slope aimed down at the clogged tunnel. Nebula activated the drill using Space Lightning, making it shoot down and begin drilling the burning rubble. They entered the new tunnel, following the drill before it crashed into a wall at a turning point. They followed the next path on their right, where Sun Toadpolis popped out of holes in the road, spitting fireballs at them. They took more hits from the S.H.O.O.T.E.R. than regular Toadpolis, but Nebula took them out eventually.

They dropped off on a safe foothold and found a Crimson Wisp wearing Fermion Spray, so they couldn’t really tell it was crimson. “EAGLE!” Nebula absorbed the power and began soaring through the tunnels with her friends riding. They bypassed the grabable ledges and flew down a new tunnel, once again avoiding Hotheads that swooped at them. They flew into a wide-open room and swerved around huge geysers of lava before flying into a thin, tight tunnel where they barely had room to move up or down. They had to move up or down to avoid Hothands trying to grab them from the walls, but once they were through, they landed safely at the start of another pathway. 

They found a 20x40 stand and approached it to buy a new weapon. _“Hoooowee, it’s HOT in here. Not that_ I _can feel it, from the coolness of my store! Better to send in drones or machines than put on that nasty spray and risk it! And now that I think about it, how do all these houses and devices stay in here and not melt? Why don’t other people buy Solaran materials. Ah well, taday’s special is the T.O.P.M.A.N., 6,000 Bolts for the dizzy experience!”_

Nebula paid the money and acquired the weapon that fires spinning tops. 

 

 **Galactic Kids Next Door: T.O.P.M.A.N.  
T**wirling **O** cularly **P** ummels **M** onsters **A** nd **N** auseates

 

_“I’d offer sunscreen too, but it’d probably evaporate, eeeh heh HA heh!”_

They proceeded down the new tunnel as Enforcers stomped down, already shooting lasers. Nebula blasted the mini tops with strings, which wrapped around the Enforcers’ legs and caused them to topple. Bender grabbed one of the fallen ones by its legs and used it to bat all the others into pools of lava, then tossed the one he used as a weapon. The tunnel’s path ended, and before them sat a group of tall platforms with thin, screw-like stems. Nebula shot tops to spin around those stems and screw the platforms downward, allowing them to jump across them. They jumped to a metal walkway along the left wall, walking out to a vast open room with a lake of lava. 

They stayed along the walkway as more Hothands tried to grab them, but they were easy to avoid. They saw a bridge that was standing straight up vertically across some lava, but Nebula shot the G.R.A.P.P.L.U.H. to its top and pulled it down, letting them cross. The next bridge was dangling downward, and it was too heavy for Nebula to pull up with the G.R.A.P.P.L.U.H.. Instead, she shot a top down and let it wrap the bridge’s handle to float and pull it up. They crossed and entered the next cave, finding a small room with another single Drophyd Trooper. This one transformed into a lion, thanks to the Lion-Lion Fruit. 

The lion tackled Bender and scratched the robot before hopping back, dodging a grenade from Nebula. The Zathurian leader shot another top that attracted the lion’s attention, and when he caught it under his paws, Bender leapt onto his back, grabbed his back legs, and bent them backwards. Lot-a backs. The Drophyd shook Bender off of him and tackled Nebula, binding her arms as he snarled in her face. Vweeb jumped onto the lion’s nose, then jumped above the head as the lion tried to grab him. The Kateenian ran along the ground as the giant cat chased, but in his distraction, Nebula shot a top that wrapped the lion’s legs and made him fall. Bender proceeded to grab him by the tail and swing him around before slamming his glass against the wall. The lion-fish became a lion-fishstick. 

A door opened, revealing a tunnel with a minecart and track. They hopped in and began the classic ride, for rolling through a thin, straight tunnel. They exited to a more open area as the track shot them straight down for several meters, until the track suddenly sloped up and made snaky turns around the scaffolds of more houses. From ahead, flaming minecarts sped at them, so they made quick, hasty jumps since they came by surprise from around the buildings. They then had to jump gaps in the road, common minecart hazard, and also had to bounce Drophyds’ heads to cross certain gaps.

They rode into another tunnel as the tracks became vertical and went along the wall. There were two tracks on each parallel side. Different parts of the tracks had holes with fire geysers, so Bender had to reach to a parallel track and pull them over to avoid. They ended up on the top-left track as it became flat and rolled them through another snaky cave. The tracks eventually came to an end and dropped them on the floor of a huge round room, with the ground surrounded by lava, and a single house on a scaffold seated a few feet away. (End song.)

“Let’s see, big round room surrounded by a death pit, nowhere else to progress in the level… I think we’re in the boss room.” Vweeb knew.

“Why change things now. Only person here to ask is that guy.” Nebula pointed to a lone Solaran man pounding the ground with a pickaxe. They hurried over, seeing the man sweat as he tirelessly smashed through the ground. Well, he would sweat if he’s not made of fire. “Um… hello. Is this your digging spot?” she randomly asked.

“Don’t see anyone else diggin’ here, do ya?” He continued digging. “Names Ardor. It means ‘heat.’ Obviously a race of fire people have those names. What’re a couple of liquid-bodies doin’ down here, anyway?”

“Take a good look, I’m a robot, not a fleshy.” Bender glared.

“I said ‘liquid,’ which you carry that stuff, too. Now leave me alone. It took 40 years to reach this point, making a minecart track back and setting up a house, I know it’s here somewhere.”

“What’s here?” Neb asked.

“The Gem of the Stars. A story that’s been in my family for too many generations to count. My great, great, great, great… ehhh etc. grandfather, was entrusted an ancient and mystical gem, and buried it in the deepest part of the mines. So much time passed, everyone thought it was a legend. But I knew… it was real. And I was going to find it.” More digging. “Sure, I could’ve taken the same job as other Solarans. Digging up luscious spark rocks and cereal that doesn’t disintegrate. But I…I was just bound to find this gem.”

“Buddy… I know as well as you do how much I wanna find a gem.” Bender replied. “But how d’you know where it is, or if it’s even real?”

“A Sun Miner’s main job is to dig up materials to help our race survive… but I saw it much more than that. The underground is just full of valuables… full of treasures. Full of… adventure. You never know what you’ll find… the most amazing thing in the universe… can lie just under our noses.”

The three smiled at his dedication. There was so much determination plastered on his flaming face. They stood for several moments and watched him dig… and after a few more jabs, a purple light began to shine from the ground. “Hey! You found something!” Nebula said as they gaped.

“Quick, let me try it!” Bender yelled, quickly taking the pickaxe and jabbing the ground, revealing the purple glowing gem they knew so well.

“The Gem of Space!” the man exclaimed.

“I found it! Bender is great!” Bender cheered.

“And it’s all _mine_.”

The gem was suddenly grabbed by a grappler and pulled to a Drophyd commander flying with rocket shoes. “I’m the leader of the squadron ordered to capture you in Solar Mines. I’m Commander Fisher Phoenix.”

“That’s a stupid name!” Vweeb yelled.

“Silence! The three of you have interfered long enough with Tachyon’s plans. But using the Devil Fruits provided to us by Caesar Clown, we will be the end of you.”

“So Caesar IS working for you.” Nebula deduced.

“Yes, though uncooperatively. Regardless, this gem and all the others you collected are coming with us.”

“We’ll see who does the stealin’, after I break yo’ dome!” Bender declared as he reached to grab the Drophyd. “Heee-EYEH!” He slammed his glass dome on the ground and smashed it. “And another fried fishstick for- ’ey, why aren’t you a fried fishstick?”

Indeed, the Drophyd’s fishy head bounced on the ground, not roasting at all. “Now to demonstrate Caesar’s greatest of all Devil Fruit types: Mythical Zoan!” And before their eyes, the fish burst into flames and morphed into a big, light-blue, beautiful phoenix, its screech echoing to the heavens (which the sun was essentially IN Heaven). It charged fire in its mouth as it screeched, blasting a blue flame at Ardor and knocking him out. The Fisher Phoenix took the fragment in its talons and tossed it into his mouth. _“Bird-Bird Fruit, Model Phoenix… A mystic bird, immortal to the ages, and the scorching suns. If I can’t scorch you, the sun will, once the Fermion Spray is melted off your body. Know the consequences… those who defy Tachyon… and THOSE, who mock my NAME.”_

“Which is STILL stupid!” Vweeb remarked.

 _“Uuuugh…”_ (Play the Night Boss Theme from _Sonic Unleashed_.)

 

_Boss fight: Fisher Phoenix_

The werephoenix Drophyd flapped its wings and shot fireballs, the trio dodging as Nebula shot it with her S.H.O.O.T.E.R.. The shots proved futile as the phoenix swooped down and knocked Nebula over. It tried to swoop down again, but Bender tossed a beer bottle at its head and exploded on him, making him stop. “Wait a second! Beer is flammable!” Bender realized.

“How come it didn’t explode before this point? ?” Nebula questioned.

Bender tossed more beers and exploded them on the phoenix, making it fall to the floor. Nebula proceeded to pummel it with the S.P.O.U.T., the gushes of water dousing the flames to expose the phoenix’s feathers. Bender began to deal punches on its head while Nebula tossed grenades at the body. The phoenix recovered and attempted to snap Bender, but the robot jumped overhead, grabbed its head, and bent its stretchy neck backward, jabbing his beak into the back of the neck.

The phoenix shook him off and took to the air again, lighting on fire. It began to flap its wings again and launch flaming shockwaves that homed in on them, but they were able to duck them and let them fly over. They dodged aside when the phoenix swooped across the ground, and when he came back again, Nebula shot S.P.O.U.T. geysers in his path to douse his flames, but he still didn’t come down. Nebula used the T.O.P.M.A.N. to shoot and wrap a top string around its beak, then one around its tail, the two tops hauling both ends down until he was grounded.

After a few more beatings, Bender caught his legs around the phoenix’s neck and pulled it back, then stretched to grab the wings and pull them over to tie them together. The phoenix shook around and got its head free, but Nebula quickly fired a V.I.S.S.I.L.E. down its throat and exploded his stomach. Fisher Phoenix pulled his wings free and shot straight for the ceiling, slamming the ceiling as it cracked and dropped four mechanical devices around the field. The phoenix held his wings out straight and launched a series of feather bullets, pelting Bender and Nebula and pushing them back.

They were pushed beside one of the devices, which Nebula activated using Space Lightning. She dodged the swooping phoenix and activated a next-door generator, and the two connected via electric beams. She ran to the parallel one and activated it, forming an electric triangle. When the phoenix swooped into the triangle, he took a painful shock. He shook back to his senses in time and flew around to destroy two of the generators. He launched another storm of feather bullets, which Nebula ran and avoided to activate one of the remaining generators. She dodged his swoop again to activate the next-door machine, but it wasn’t enough for a shock-trap.

As Bender chucked a few more beer bottles at the phoenix, Nebula noticed the antenna on his head. Having a crazy idea, she ran up and induced him with Space Lightning, making him fizzle as the other two devices connected with his antenna and made a triangle. When Fisher Phoenix swooped down, he took the shock and was stunned on the ground. Nebula once again shot him with S.P.O.U.T. geysers, and the water made the shock even more painful. Before they could begin attacking, the phoenix instantly recovered and grabbed Nebula in its talons, flying to the air as it screeched loudly in her face.

With its mouth wide open, Vweeb jumped inside and shot his Stun ray down his throat, finally silencing the screaming. Vweeb climbed onto his beak and shot his eyes, forcing him to drop Nebula. With that, the Zathurian shocked Bender and electrified his antenna. With a confident look, the robot stretched up, grabbed the bird’s wings, and pulled himself straight up, jabbing the electric antenna through its stomach and forcing him against the ceiling. The phoenix still hovered as Bender dropped down, but the ceiling broke open completely and dropped a huge, heavy drill onto its head, the same drill Nebula activated earlier.

The phoenix shrunk back into a regular puny Drophyd, still surviving the heat since he was still part-phoenix. He puked out the Dimensional Fragment before losing consciousness. (End song.)

Nebula walked over to claim the fragment in victory. “Ohhhh…” Ardor finally awakened, rubbing his fiery forehead. “What happened? Where’d the fish thing go?”

“Right here.” Nebula gestured to the fallen fish-head.

“Hmmm…” Ardor kicked him in the lava. “Sun is no place for fish.”

“Probably won’t do much, since he’s a phoenix.”

“No matter… you got the gem back, it looks like. I don’t know what you kids did… but you got sizzle.”

“No kiddin’- bzzzrt.” Bender sparked.

“But why did you three decide to help me? And why _are_ you down here?”

“The truth is, we might know the end to your family story.” Nebula explained. “We think your ancestors were entrusted the gem by the Zathurians, and they wanted it guarded until a Zathurian needed it.”

“So that’s what you are… I thought the shadings on your eye looked different. Anyway… you kids can have it. All I wanted to know is if it existed. Now it’s time to start looking for other treasures. I have plenty of time. We Solarans can live for nearly 10,000 years…”

“Wow. 10,000 years digging in a sun.” Bender said. “Sounds like a hard days’ livin’. You guys should be folksingers!”

“Glad we could help out,” Neb began as Bender stashed the gem away, “but we need to get out of here before this spray dissolves. Think you can help us?”

“Be glad ta! I see you stumbled upon my drill that I lost. I built in rocket engines that can only be activated by a Solaran. Just hop in and we’ll drill you out in minutes!”

The group squeezed in the drill as Ardor turned on its rockets and flew straight up, drilling through all the scorching rock and lava. As soon as they were out, they made their way back to the Shooting Star, and Team Nebula was soon flying away from the sun. “Happy digging!” Nebula called to Ardor as they waved good-bye.

“Send me a cut o’ the gold!” Bender yelled.

“You know, for walking around in a sun, that wasn’t so bad!” Vweeb said.

“Yeah, but I can’t wait to get this spray off.” Nebula replied. “I wonder if Pollyx has any bathtubs in that library.”

“Me too. Wouldn’t mind stopping for a meal, either.”

“If you want, I can whip up some lunch!” Bender offered. “Cooking was my third hobby!”

“I’m not really feeling for robot food.” Vweeb said.

“Come on, our food’s just as good for you meatbellies.”

“Well, it’s probably better than anything Solarans have to offer.” Nebula remarked.

 

**Soooo sorry for not much development on this stage(s), but we are moving tomorrow, so I wanna get this done! But once we come back, this next little mini-arc will actually be kinda better! Gonna learn a little backstory with Mom and Tachyon, and once we’re done, these next two worlds are two we’ve been waiting to see for a long time! ;) In fact, one of them we’ve actually heard of, but never actually seen until this story. ;) See you later!**


	17. The Smartest Computer in the Universe

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Team Nebula and Sector V find the Kreeli Comet, seeking knowledge from the IRIS Supercomputer.

**HOO, well guys, after successfully moving to our new place, I am ready to get back on the saddle! Today we’ll be going to the 20th stage where we’ll learn a few things!**

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Chapter 16: The Smartest Computer in the Universe

_**

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**Great Library of Galaxia**

“Ahhhh… Yeah, that’s what I needed.” Nebula sighed as she sat in the steaming bathtub which Pollyx conveniently had built in the library. Tired adventurers must come here a lot. “If I knew Pollyx had this earlier, I’d be coming here after every planet.”

“You oughta have something like this installed in the base!” Vweeb suggested, hopping onto the tub’s side.

“GYAAH!” Nebula hid under the bubbles. “Isn’t any boy in this universe decent?!”

“We’re as decent as we come.” He winked. “Anyway, Pollyx is looking into the other fragments, but not much luck. And there aren’t any events taking place that he’s aware of.”

“Well, something has to happen eventually. But for now, get the heck out!” Her shout made him fall back. “And check how Bender’s doing with our lunch.”

Inside the kitchen, Bender whistled a tune as he dipped burgers in acid and put them on the plate. He stomped on a few bugs and scooped their squished remains to put them on, then finished by sprinkling on some dandruff. “A’ight kids, get ‘em while they’re scorched!” he announced, turning to Sector V. The team of 11 (plus Game-and-Watch) had horrified, color-flushed faces, after witnessing Bender’s technique.

“Uhhhh… that’s not edible.” Artie said.

“I really wouldn’t mind ordering out.” Aurora mentioned.

“Nonsense, here have a bite!” He tossed each of them a plate. They exchanged looks of worry and anguish, but they attempted to stomach a bite. Their expressions fell lifeless as they fell to their knees and desperately tried to hack the food out.

Pollyx walked in and looked at the poisoned kids with shock. “Eyeeeh!”

“Hey, Professor, wanna try my Ant-Beetle Dumpster Surprise?” He held up another unsavory dish.

“Well uh, that is to say-” The doorbell rang. “I’ll get it!” He ran off.

Sector V hurried to scour the fridge for drinks as they heard someone speaking with Pollyx down the hall. _“Excuse me Sir, but we happened to stumble upon this book, and it said it belonged to this library.”_

“Well, I’ll be darned!” Pollyx exclaimed as Vanellope was patting a sick Game-and-Watch’s back. “This has been gone for almost 40 years! Where did you find it?”

 _“Just happened to be lying around.”_ The visitor grinned. _“In return, we’d like ta know something: where could we find any Jedi Temples?”_

“Ehhh, well there is the Jedi Temple in the Galactic Capital on Coruscant, but I can’t imagine much activity there…”

_“No worries. Thanks for the help.”_

“Okay, thanks again! And what a very nice flamingo coat!”

After Nebula finished her bath, she dressed back up and walked out to the others. “Nebula, look at this!” Pollyx yelled, skittering over with the book. “A couple of nice, eh, funny-looking kids just came by and brought me this book! The book that I’ve been missing from my library for years!”

“‘Ancient Technologies of the Universe’?” Nebula read.

“Yes! And look who was the person to check it out.” He opened the front cover.

“Mom.”

“Exactly! A-And she has a section bookmarked. One that talks about the legendary IRIS Supercomputer.”

“What’s so special about IRIS Supercomputer?”

“The IRIS happened to be built around your mother’s Zathurian days, and is the oldest and wisest of Terachnoid machineries. Perhaps Mom sought it out to gain information. Information that may be vital to your quest.”

“Hmmm… Well, it is worth checking out.”

“Indeed! Besides what it told Mom, the computer’s knowledge is endless! It could tell you a hundred things you want to know! And more!”

“Well, that’s terrific!” Vweeb perked. “Where is it?”

“Over the years, it seems the computer station was frozen inside of a comet, which soars across the universe so the computer can collect info. And by my calculations, said Kreeli Comet should be making its pass through the Bermuda Tetrahedron.”

“The Bermuda Tetrahedron?!” Vweeb gasped. “That’s the Space Graveyard! No spaceship has ever returned from there alive!”

“Doesn’t Galaxia have a hundred Space Graveyards?” Nebula asked.

“Well, this one hasn’t been conquered, yet!”

“Actually, I’ve seen a lot of space-pirates sailing into that region recently.” Pollyx mentioned. “Perhaps _they_ intended to find this comet.”

“Well, we goin’ to find it or what?” Bender asked.

“Yes, yes. There’s one thing that concerns me, though: if Mom _did_ visit the computer, I fear she may’ve done something to it. She usually loves to keep other people from finding her sources.”

“Well, if it’s a computer, Vanellope could probably fix it.” Aurora figured.

“It is my specialty!” said Vanellope proudly.

“Well, there’s not really room on our ship, but I guess you can ride in our terminal.” Nebula figured.

“Actually, you may want to take Sector V’s bigger ship, anyway.” Pollyx suggested. “The Bermuda Tetrahedron is unpassable without a fairly strong ship. But there’s still a matter of navigating it.”

“Leave it to me!” Haylee declared proudly. “My dad was the best pilot there is, and he taught me everything! I’ll sail through that tetrahedron like it was a sea of icebergs!”

“Is that supposed to assure us?” Nebula remarked.

“Yes!”

“You kids sure have guts, I’ll give you that.” Pollyx said. “I couldn’t summon up the courage to confront a salesclerk for a faulty product. Let alone… ehhh anyway, I’ll provide you with coordinates to the tetrahedron so you can be on your way.”

“Hope you aren’t nervous Haylee, this is your final exam.” Harry smirked.

“Yeah, but it’d be just too easy if our final exams could be right now. …”

**Galactic Council H.Q.; Tachyon’s office**

“I don’t see the point of making me the main villain if I’m hardly IN this story.” Tachyon yelled into his phone. Behind him were Vendra and Neftin. “If I don’t get paid a decent wage, YOU’RE going to wish you never- Oh, hang on, I have another call.” He pushed the button. “Hello, Mumsy. What?! They’re heading to Kreeli Comet? Brilliant!” He turned to his criminal allies and ordered, “Show time, you two! Fly to the Bermuda Tetrahedron and grab those kids ONCE AND FOR ALL! And as for Nebula, I’ve grown quite sick of her, so just go ahead and kill her! The little amount of Space Chi she has is relatively useless, so we shouldn’t need it in the end.”

“But we still need her to decipher the remaining artifacts and locate the fragments.” Vendra said with a glare.

“Actually, I know where one of the fragments is already. It’s divided in two halves, and both belong to enemy tribes that’ve been fighting for over a century! I have a plan to lay waste to BOTH of them, in time. As for the other fragment, as long as we have Ms. Winkiebottom in our captivity, we’ll have that artifact translated.”

“But just because you have the fragments, you still have no idea where the original Dimensionator is.”

“Hmmm… you’re right. But Nebula is attempting to locate the IRIS Supercomputer. If I recall, that computer contains VAST knowledge and information, such as the whereabouts of the original Dimensionator. Perhaps Nebula’s meddling will prove useful to us. As soon as she awakens it, we will use the computer to tell us the Dimensionator’s location. After eliminating her, of course. Now both of you get to the comet NOW! Or you’ll be taking their place in Zordoom!”

“Right away, Your Majesty.” Neftin bowed. He whispered to Vendra, _“Let’s just give this jackass what he wants.”_

“I’m afraid I have better plans…” With that, she warped both of them.

**_Aloha Oe_ ; approaching Bermuda Tetrahedron**

The Bermuda Tetrahedron was a massive region of space, shaped like a tetrahedron, flowing with dark-red foggy and electrical energy. “There it is…” Nebula spoke as they all bore worried looks.

“Well… here we go.” Haylee spoke, feeling the most afraid as she drove the ship inside. Seconds after passing the fog, their ship was pelted by a storm of red electricity.

“Watch out! It’s Tickle Me Elmo’s fire!” Nebula exclaimed. Indeed the kids began laughing as the static sizzled their clothes and made their hair stand.

“Hey Dillon!” Chris called, touching his friend with his finger.

“OW!” He was zapped. “Why you!”

“YOW!” Chris was zapped back.

“Ow!” “YOW!” “Ow!” “YYYOUCH!” They were all in a tickle-shock fight.

“Bzzzzzz-” As Sheila was shocking Mason, Aurora ran to smack her wrist.

“Will everyone just stop it?!” she yelled. “We need to get through here safely!” Sheila frowned grumpily and rubbed her wrist.

“Okay, hehehe! We’re about to exit the storm!” Haylee giggled.

The static stopped as they flew into a clearer area, flowing with massive diamonds. “Hang on, everybody! We’re passing through a storm of spacebergs!” Haylee reported.

“Stupid rocks, think they’re so great.” Bender grumbled.

“Well, they are giant diamonds.” Nebula told him.

“What?!”

In seconds, Bender was on the roof of the _Aloha_ , holding a small net up. “Come to papa! Hehehehehe- YYOOOOW!!” An asteroid whipped by and yanked his arm off.

“Get back inside!” Haylee yelled. “I’m trying to focus here!”

“It’s hopeless!! Abandon ship!!” Vanellope flailed her arms.

“Calm down!” Haylee ordered. “I’m going to get us through this!”

The spacebergs got bigger as they flew through, and Haylee had to make some tight turns to get around them. They were sandwiched between two spacebergs as they closed in, ramming the ship from both sides, making the kids flinch. “Okay, that’s gonna leave a mark.” Haylee said.

More spacebergs flew at them from all directions, but Haylee couldn’t navigate around in time. “We’re getting BOMBARDED here!” Mason screamed.

“Just stay calm!! The less you cry out, the better!”

The team did so and stayed silent as Haylee carefully sailed around the massive diamonds. The giant gems were so reflective, it was hard to tell their exact distance, but Haylee managed to sail through a canyon. Several spacebergs were about to crash ahead, so Haylee slowed down and let them bounce off each other before speeding forward. However, one last spaceberg was speeding at them from the front, ready to slam their cockpit.

“Haylee, pull back! Fast!” Aurora yelled.

“It’s too late to turn around!”

“Wait! Keep going!” Bender yelled. “I’ll handle it!” With that, the robot jumped off the _Aloha_ ’s roof and grabbed a beam with his remaining arm. His arm stretched and stretched as he fell, before flinging himself straight back at the _Aloha_ full force. “OOOF!” He slammed his back against the ship and forced a huge airbag to puff up as he floated to the front. The operatives shielded their eyes as the spaceberg was about to crash, but it forced against Bender’s airbag and bounced straight back into space.

“YAAAAY!”

“Phew! Way to go, Bender!” Nebula cheered.

“Did I hear what I know I just heard??”

“Everyone’s thinkin’ it!” Vweeb smiled and shrugged.

“BENDER IS GREAT!” they all cheered.

“AH KNEW IT!!” But just like that, Bender fell apart completely. “A little help here?”

In the distance, they saw a big, whitish-blue comet whipping across the empty blackness. “That’s the Kreeli Comet!” Nebula pointed.

As they approached the snowy comet, they noticed a bunch of bases with pirate flags set up across the landscape, and space-pirates walking about them. “So the pirates are here after all.” Aurora observed.

“Orright! Let’s rust some pirate booty!” Sheila fist-pumped.

“It’s best not to get in the way.” Aurora suggested. “Only Vanellope should go with them, since she can repair the computer.”

“Arrrr leave the pirate thrashing to ME, mateys!” Vanellope fist-pumped.

Sheila once again had a grumpy frown on her face.

The ship took land on an open spot, and after the Gilligan Triplets repaired Bender, the team of Nebula, Vweeb, Bender, and Vanellope began the journey across the comet. (Play “Tidal Terror” from _Donkey Kong Country Returns_.)

 

_Stage 20: Kreeli Comet_

_Mission: Find the IRIS Supercomputer._

_Act 1_

The team of four passed through a path between walls, reaching a ledge above a bottomless chasm. On their left was a grabable ledge which the other three climbed across, while Vweeb walked across. The ledge was collapsing as they went, so they had to be quick, but had to stop to avoid Snapdragons that Vweeb shot. They reached the next path and followed it to a small pirate camp. Corsair pirates began shooting at them while Nebula dodged and countered with T.O.P.M.A.N., making the pirates spin around and shoot at others. Vanellope then glitched around and tripped them in their dizziness, causing them to topple over a nearby ledge.

They followed a path through a short trench where turrets were stationed up on the walls, firing rapid machineguns that forced the group to jump back to safety. Nebula fired V.I.S.S.I.L.E.s over to blow the four pirates away, allowing them to proceed safely. They approached the entrance of a small base with a terminal that Vanellope was beginning to hack. She entered a code ‘Swabbies’ and caused the door to open. A trio of Swabs jumped out of chests and launched their electric hooks, but Nebula shot S.P.O.U.T. geysers to make them short-circuit. Bender then grabbed a nearby barrel, chugged down all the grog, then used it to bowl the dizzy pirates out of a left exit.

The exit overlooked a dark chasm, which they could walk down safely using a Gravity Path. Once deep enough in the chasm, it began to lead around the walls as mini avalanches were falling from above, and the group could only pass after they stopped for a few seconds. Eventually the path led them to another pirate camp, where a few swabbies were gathered around a campfire. “Aren’t they done fixing that thing, yet?”

“You know you can’t count on Joe-Jack for jack. Why, you can hardly count on him for Joe.”

“I ‘ope he fixes it, ‘cause just imagine a computer that knows practically everything! I’m gonna ask what Jerry is getting for my birthday!”

“The computer doesn’t know THAT, and if it did, it wouldn’t bother answerin’ ya! A more WORTHY question would be-”

“How many seconds it will take to kick your butt!” Nebula declared before chucking a grenade at the gathered pirates. Some hurried to turrets and tried to blast them, but Vanellope glitched over and cupped hands over one’s eyes. During his distraction, Bender snuck over to bend the turret cannon backward, then Vanellope glitched to other pirates so Bender could do the same. The turret pirates ended up shooting their selves, and afterward, Bender reached to yank off a pirate’s leg, bend it like a boomerang, and throw it to knock down all the others.

They hurried through another path and found an area enclosed within the walls, where another pirate base sat. Two pirate turrets sat on the base’s roof as they blasted at the kids and robot, but Vanellope glitched up there and bounced back-and-forth between their heads to draw their attention. She zipped to the back of that roof area and tricked them to shooting the two generators, causing the front doors to open. Team Nebula hurried in that front entrance and encountered some Hot Head Pirates; skinny pirates with torches on their craniums.

The pirates launched grenades from their flaming skulls, but Bender grabbed them as Nebula used the S.P.O.U.T. to propel the pirates upward, then Bender threw the grenades in as well to have them blow up the pirates. On their left was a barred gate which Bender bent open, letting them go up a walkway onto the roof where Vanellope was. The little Program girl was already standing victoriously over the fallen pirates.

They had to cross a dangerous chasm to reach the next base, but the only way across was a tiny, zigzaggy metal beam. There was a mirror leaned by one of the crates on the roof, so Nebula minimized Bender and herself with Space Shrink. She would’ve done the same to Vanellope, but the excited Program decided to glitch across herself, acting stealthily as she climbed onto the roof. The three minis crossed the tiny beams their selves, in which snowflakes fell onto parts of the path and made it slippery, so they crossed those parts carefully. Before they could cross the last bit, the path suddenly collapsed, but Bender dropped down and stretched his arms to both sides, letting his friends use him as a foothold to cross.

Bender pulled himself to the other side as the three started to climb up a pipe, leading leftward around the base and eventually to the roof. _“We’re grounders and rust bolts and outdated oil, DRINK UP me hearties, yo ho! Yooo hoooo, yooo hoooo, a robot’s life for me!”_ A band of pirates sang upon the roof. One of them happened to be dancing with a mirror. _“We’re programmed to plunder, and also to not give a hoot, DRINK UP me hearties, yo ho! Yooo hooo, yo hoooo, a robot’s life for me.”_

The miniaturized trio had to sneak around the right of the pirates, getting behind a stack of crates where Vanellope waited. “Ohhh…” The Program girl rubbed her forehead.

“Vanellope? Are you okay?” the tiny Nebula asked.

“Uhhh…” She came to her senses. “Yeah. Just felt dizzy for a minute. …Awww, _you guys are so cute!_ ” she squealed. “Like little two-legged gerbils!”

“I ain’t no gerbil, Turtle!” Mini Bender remarked, smoking his mini cigar.

“Vanellope, I need you to get that mirror over to us so I can resize.” Mini Nebula told her.

“Call me Vanellope, Professional Mirror Retriever!” The little girl zipped out to the partying pirates and asked the one holding the mirror, “Excuse me, Mister! Why’re you dancing with that mirror?”

“This be my regular dancing mirror!”

“Is it ‘cause you couldn’t find a date?”

“This ain’t even that kind of dance, Lassie!”

“Everyone else has a date. You’re alone.”

“I am NOT alone!”

“Looonelyyy… I’m Mr. Looonelyyyy. I have nobooodyyyy… BUT MY MIRROOOORRR!”

“ARRRR! Ay’ll ram this mirror upside your head!” He was about to whack her with it, but-

“Thanks!” She grabbed the mirror and glitched over the boxes, aiming it at the tiny group. “Hurry! Quick!”

Nebula focused and resized herself, then did the same to Bender. “ARRR! Intruders!” the pirate yelled. Vanellope whacked him upside the head with the mirror before the four jumped out to clash with the pirates. Buccaneers slashed swords at them, but Bender bent their arms by the elbow and caused them to slice other pirates. A pirate ran at Nebula from behind, but the leader shot a top to spin him around and run to stab an ally. With the pirates defeated, the group used a nearby turret to blow down the door into the building. However, when they looked across the chasm, they noticed several weak cracks in the cliffside wall. They blasted those spots and made the wall crumble, revealing a massive Bender Marking. Nebula snapped a picture of the giant graffiti and hurried forward. _“Hehehehehehehe!”_

“You know, we never did find the one in Solar Mines.” she remembered. Inside the room was an elevator with a generator, so Nebula shocked it with Space Lightning to make it go down. It brought them to an exit with a wide path leading across the chasm into a cave in a small hill. A squad of Swabs and Hardy Buccaneers charged over. They began to shoot guns, but Vanellope glitched behind a Buccaneer’s shield and took it, jumping back to her friends to defend them from gunshots. Bender jumped off the bridge and stretched his arms to hang onto both sides, using his strength to bend the other half of the bridge down. The pirates took the plunge, except the pirate who lost his shield, but Vanellope shoved the shield back against him and pushed him down.

Bender climbed back up and bent the bridge back to normal so the four could cross. They reached another dark chasm and had to swing across G.R.A.P.P.L.U.H. targets that moved left to right and vice-versa respectively, while Vanellope glitched across, before taking land on a platform near a bolted-up door. But as luck would have it, a Nether Rift appeared on that door, so Nebula jumped inside.

 **Netherverse** (Play “Clank in the Netherverse” from you know by now.)

Nebula appeared in a very frosty cavern, first having to jump and float across small icy platforms over an abyss. She reached a ledge on the other side and slid down a small slide into a bigger cavern. A door sealed the way behind her when she entered, having to cross a small maze that seemed to have two routes leading to the other side. Once across, she slid down a slightly wider slide to another mazelike room, only this time there was a chasm and two thin paths led across it. Another door sealed behind her, but she paid this no mind as she easily floated across the chasm.

After going down another slide, she reached a mazey corridor that made several turns and several routes. She eventually reached the end, where the doors closed behind her again, but the next space power floated before her. She touched the power and absorbed it in her body.

**Nebula learned the _Space Split_! With this, she can create a portal to split her body in two! Both halves will mirror the other, walking forward side-by-side, or walking opposite directions when walking sideways! She is able to split by standing on a Split Pad, in which her parallel will move to an alternate pad. Both halves can reunite by touching each other.**

To exit the cave, Nebula stood on one of the Split Pads, making a portal that separated the right half of her body and put it on the right Split Pad. Both halves walked toward each other, standing on two parallel switches at the same time. The door opened, and both halves reunited before leaving. (Play “Netherverse Chase” from that same game you should know.)

 _“GRAGRAHGRAGRAHGRAGRAH-”_ The Nether began chasing, so Nebula hurried through this maze of doors, having to split in two using the pads at the beginning and navigating both around the maze. Since the maze made several turns, and the halves could only walk forward beside each other, whenever they made turns, they had to walk down alternate paths. It got very confusing, especially since Nebula saw through the eye(s) of both halves, but both were able to meet up and stand on the two switches to open the door.

To get up the slide, both halves had to Wall Jump off the walls and each other, but once they got up, they reunited. However, she had to split up again to cross the two paths across the chasm, moving slowly so neither slipped on the ice, but still had to move fast as the Nether chased. Both halves reached the switches and reopened the slide which the two Wall Jumped up. They were back in the wall maze and had to take separate routes, navigating around the same as before before reaching the end.

They hit the switches and opened the thinner slide, which Nebula Wall Jumped on her own. She reached the room with the small platforms, but those footholds suddenly collapsed. They were replaced with a set of 3 balance beams, the first one short, next one long, and the last one shortest. Nebula split into two again and had both halves stand on the ends of the first, balancing perfectly. She had to repeat this and float both halves to the ends of the long one, then float to the close ends of the short one. Finally, they made it to the ledge and reunited before exiting the portal. (End song.)

**Kreeli Comet**

The three others jumped back in shock when Nebula popped out, followed by the Nether’s head, who exploded and blew the door open. “WHOA! Was that some kinda microwave dimension??” Vanellope questioned.

“No, but their heads _are_ overcooked.” Nebula responded. “Come on.”

They finally entered the chamber of the IRIS Supercomputer. It was a big computer with several smaller computers around it, and the place was totally blacked out. “No doubt this place hasn’t been visited in ages.” Nebula knew.

Vanellope noticed several sparking wires and proceeded to fix them. Afterwards, she hooked her laptop up with the IRIS. “Aside from the outer damage, it looks like a virus poisoned her mainframe, too. I’ll go in to fix it from inside. Don’t get bored and fall asleep!” With that, she materialized inside. (Play “Blarg Station” from _Ratchet & Clank_.)

_Act 2: IRIS Mainframe_

Vanellope appeared in another virtual space, standing on some hexagon-tiled floors over a dark chasm. A thin path led across the chasm, but a group of spiraling circles were blocking the way. On the other side of Vanellope’s ledge were 3 Zoni, so the girl went to recruit them. _“Zoni.”_

“Aww, not YOU guys again. Oh well. Lend me a hand, would ya?”

They followed the path to the spinning circles, where the Zoni uncovered a hidden terminal on a ledge sticking out on the left. Vanellope entered the code ‘Dizzy’ to make the circles stop and allow her to jump through them. A space-pirate Program was there to attack her, but Vanellope dodged his sword-slash, glitched onto his head, wrapped her legs around his neck, and twisted it backwards, making the confused Program walk off the edge. She looked to a group of three spinning circles across the chasm, but with no way to jump through, she crossed a set of platforms so the Zoni could unfold another computer. She entered the codes ‘Long jump’, ‘Speedy’, and ‘Vomit’ to make the three circles slow down.

Zone Lights floated in the center of those circles, so the Zoni flew over, ready for Vanellope to glitch. She needed to glitch across with good timing since the circles were still spinning, but she was able to get across and land on a new walkway. She entered a circular door to a new room, standing on a ledge before a chasm which she had to cross using a fat log-like device. However, the log wouldn’t turn when she stood on it, and seven Zone Lights went around its edges. On the left of the ledge were four more Zoni, so Vanellope went over to recruit them. _“Zoni.”_

They all took place on the Zone Lights, and as Vanellope rapidly glitched around and around, the log-like device spun and floated over the chasm. When they reached the next ground, Vanellope got off and encountered three more pirates. The cheerful girl zipped around and warped between each of their heads, confusing them so the Zoni could toss energy beams and take them out. They followed a left path to a ledge overlooking a series of square-shaped wall panels, turning and moving left and right over the chasm. Vanellope had to Wall Jump across them, having to kick off whenever the walls switches sides so she was ready to kick off the next.

She followed the next path to a ledge overlooking another chasm. The distance was farther across this gap, and three more spinning circles led across, spread far from each other. Vanellope followed a left route where the Zoni uncovered another computer. The Program entered the codes ‘Distance’, ‘Faraway’, and ‘Get ready’ to make all three circles begin moving. The circles all zipped to one side of the chasm, gathered up, then flew to the other, one at a time from smallest to largest. Each had a Zone Light, so a Zoni had to get in each of them. When the circles came over, then were flying across, Vanellope glitched into the largest circle, then the medium, then the shortest, making it safely across thanks to their quick speeds.

On this next floor, she picked up 5 more Zoni, making 12 total. _“Zoni.”_ With that, she continued to a set of three bigger wheels, each bigger than the previous, and had Zone Lights spinning around with them. The 12 Zoni each got on a light, letting Vanellope glitch around the wheels and make it up to the foothold. She entered another circular door to a ledge where a bridge led across the chasm, the various panels closing in and out, threatening to drop her below. The bridge was easy to cross as Vanellope arrived at the computer’s core, where a huge, black, digital blob protected the mainframe.

The Virus sent mini black blobs out and attempted to smash its head at Vanellope, but she glitched up and threw a series of rapid kicks at its eye. It recovered as Vanel landed and launched forward with a kick, but her left foot ended up caught inside its substance. She desperately tried to shake as it sucked her in, but the Zoni saved her by throwing energy balls. She glitched around the Virus and threw several quick kicks, and as it tried to catch her, the Zoni were throwing energy spheres at its form.

Vanel finally glitched high above as it looked up, glitching and zipping around at high speeds before throwing a powerful kick at its eye. With that, Vanellope dropped down as the Zoni opened its chest to reveal a terminal. Vanellope entered four codes, ‘Knowledge’, ‘Unlimited’, ‘Multiverse’, and ‘Zathurians.’ The Virus sparkled and digitized before derezzing completely. A huge door opened to reveal the IRIS Supercomputer, lighting back to life. Vanellope jumped with excitement and fist-pumped, ready to warp back. (End song.)

Vanellope set up her laptop and readied to warp back to her friends. But before she could, the Zoni flew around her and zapped her with a vision. _“The Light is in danger.”_ The vision was of Sheila Frantic walking across the snows of Kreeli. _“She will perish in Zordoom.”_

Vanellope was taken out of the vision as the Zoni left. She shook her head with confusion and said, “The whuuuut?”

**IRIS Chamber**

Neb, Vweeb, and Bender watched as Vanellope rematerialized from the laptop. The IRIS Supercomputer began to spark to life, along with all the computers around it. _“Hoooo-o-o-o-o-o. Goodness, I thought I’d never be rebooted. Many thanks for fixing me. To think of how many years to acquire knowledge I must’ve lost. Who are you?”_

“Name’s Bender, and may I say, you are _one_ sexy artificial intelligence.” He blew his cigar.

“Um, my name’s Nebula. Nebula Winkiebottom.”

 _“_ Winkie _bottom?! You wouldn’t be referring to the same family who led the astrological research on Planet Zathura, would you?”_

“Um… I wouldn’t know. I never knew my family ancestry, and my mom barely did, either.”

_“You are. I can tell. The daughter of the only remaining Zathurian in the universe. Dimentia Z. Winkiebottom.”_

“Did you know my mom?”

_“Not personally, but I knew her parents, Blumeré and Nosteré. They were leaders of the Zathurian tribe, who conducted research on the hidden powers of space. In their quest to harness this power, they created the Dimensionator. A great turning point in their scientific research. The Cragmites, their enemy race who wished to use this research for evil intentions, desperately wanted this invention. But while its creation was enough to provoke them, something else outright made them explode with rage and jealously: the birth of Dimentia and her brother, Dimentio.”_

“But why?” Nebula asked.

_“This was just 3 million years after the gods granted mortals the powers of the elements. However, at the time, the powers of Time and Space were far too important to give. But Palkia, God of Space, jealous of Time God Dialga for having his own apprentice, decided to grant two Zathurian twins the powers of Space. Those were Dimentia and Dimentio. When word of their power reached the Cragmite race, a terrible war ensued, in their quest to capture these children and harness their power. The Zathurians were falling, but in the end, Blumeré and Nosteré used the Dimensionator to send the Cragmites to Dimension D. But just before the Cragmites’ banishment, two Cragmite parents ejected a lone egg out of the planet’s atmosphere. It escaped Zathura before it was sealed as well, and drifted across space for many years. Eventually, the egg drifted to Planet Glacia, and crashed upon a snowy mountain. The blistering snows piled and piled on the tiny egg, until it was frozen. For thousands and thousands of years… it lay frozen. Buried._

_“Then one day, just 40 years ago, the President of MomCorp, Mom, scheduled an excavation on Glacia, in the quest for rare and possibly hazardous materials. Using all the advanced machinery and archaeologists working overtime,”_ her screen showed Mom sitting comfily in a warm log cabin, sipping cocoa while workers shivered in the frosty snows, their skin turning blue as they weakly dug, _“they eventually stumbled upon a strange, frozen egg. Mom placed it in her kajillion-degree oven, originally intending to eat the yolk, but was amazed to see a tiny, alien baby hatch.”_ They watched as a little baby Tachyon hatched from the egg, screaming very loudly from the scorching heat.

_“Mom’s heart was touched by the baby’s sudden appearance, but she had no idea what this was. That’s when she located and came to me, requesting my knowledge. I confirmed that he was a Cragmite, and the last of his kind, due to the expelling of the Cragmites at the hands of the Zathurians. It wasn’t long before a devious idea popped into Mom’s head. She decided to raise Tachyon as her own, training him so that one day, he’ll rise to political power, and share his power with her. Tachyon became a big success in his career, able to buy the support of the Drophyd Army, without the knowledge of the Galactic Council._

_“Mom told the story of how the Zathurians sent the Cragmites away, and how his species were the rightful rulers of the universe. She convinced him to one day use his political knowledge and conquer Galaxia. And in his rule, he would be able to find the weapon that caused the Cragmites’ destruction: the Dimensionator. Tachyon would be able to use the Dimensionator’s power to spread his rule across the universe, and at the same time, MomCorp could become the universe’s largest corporate chain.”_

“So in the grand scheme, Mom is the evil one here.” Nebula deduced.

_“In a way, yes. But as Tachyon grew in politics, he begun to stand at equal terms with Mom, if not greater. They became simple allies, not Tachyon being her servant/son, and Tachyon developed his own lust for wanting to bring back his people. But it was thanks to Mom he was able to reach this point. She got him connections with Caesar’s Bang Gas Business, and allowed him to acquire the Matter-Matter Fruit. And using his resulted matterbending abilities, he bought the loyalty of the Drophyd Army by supplying them with vast amounts of Raritanium. He is able to do this by uncovering Raritanium inside iron asteroids using his powers.”_

“Hmmm… Well, at any rate, if you know about the Cragmites, maybe you know where the Dimensional Fragments are, or at least the Zathurian Artifacts.”

_“I wish I could help you. Unfortunately, that data in my memory banks was deleted, by none other than the Zoni.”_

“The Zoni?” Nebula asked.

“Hey! Those are the things that were helping me!” Vanellope remembered.

“Now that you mention it… Cheren told me about them, too.” Nebula recalled.

_“The Zoni are a powerful race of beings able to manipulate Time and Space at will. There is a legend that says they existed before this universe was created, and they possess unlimited knowledge even superior to mine. They seem to know many things ahead of time, and they aid certain people of destiny. For example, the Space Lights and Gravity Paths you’ve seen up until now. Those were left there by the Zoni, to aid in your quest.”_

“So the Zoni… have been helping me all along?”

“Wait! What about me?” Vanellope excitedly asked. “Whaddo they hang around me for?”

_“Their reasons are beyond my knowledge, so I cannot say. I’ve reached the conclusion, they do not want my knowledge to be available all the time. When Mom requested me the location of the fragments and Zathurian Artifacts, and I bared no answer, she had me dismantled. Of course, my technology was far superior to what she’s used to. My hi-def cameras continued to function and observe passing regions of the universe. But I was unable to control the Kreeli Comet, so I could not observe the regions I had wanted. A lot of cool stuff probably happened, I bet.”_

“Hehe, you wouldn’t believe the half of it.” Nebula laughed. “…That reminds me, though… where _is_ the Dimensionator, anyway? We have the fragments, but the actual machine…”

 _“This, I can tell you. The original Dimensionator has, unfortunately, been dismantled. However, the blueprints have been entrusted to one of the races tasked with guarding the fragments: the Legoans. And currently, only one person on that planet has the knowledge and capability to build the Dimensionator in the same fashion as the Zathurians: Lord Business.”_ She showed an image of the former enemy.

“So that means… we need Lord Business to build the Dimensionator?”

_“Yes. And he should know where the blueprints are. …Now then… that’s all the information I can provide you regarding your quest. When you see your mother again… do tell her, I would like to meet her.”_

“But isn’t my mom… in Zordoom?”

_“Yes. And if you could… I would like you to go and rescue her. Blumeré and Nosteré recorded a message on me, before Zathura’s sealing by the Zoni. A message intended for Dimentia and her brother. But Dimentio passed away a long time ago with the other Zathurians of that time, and Dimentia is the only one left. It is vital that she gets this message.”_

“We’d like to, but… breaking into Zordoom would be a little dangerous right now. After we deal with Tachyon, they should set Mom free. …Uh, I mean MY mom, not ‘Mom’ as in… the person.”

 _“I understand. But know my knowledge expands to other things. I have provided a list of questions that may peak your interest.”_ A list of questions appeared on her screen for Nebula to choose from.

“That’s okay… we’ll get back to you on those later.”

The four were about to turn and head back. But Vanellope’s laptop rang just then, so she set it down and opened as Aurora’s face appeared. _“Vanellope! Where are you guys? We’ve got trouble.”_

“What? What’s going on?” Nebula asked.

_“Sheila’s gone missing! We’ve sent Mason and Chris out to find her, but we might need your help.”_

“Okay, we’ll hurry back as soon as possible.” Nebula assured before Vanellope shut the laptop. “Oh boy… ’Wonder what could’ve happened.”

Secretly, Vendra heard the whole conversation from a tiny portal she was peeping through.

**Somewhere else on the comet**

Chris and Mason trekked across a barren area of the snowy comet, searching worriedly for their friend. “Man, I hope Sheila’s okay.” Mason said. “You think some pirates snuck onboard the ship and kidnapped her?”

“Come on Mase, Sheila wouldn’t get caught that easy. She’s the strongest person on the team. Next to me, of course.” Chris grinned proudly. “She probably saw something interesting and decided to follow. You know how she gets.”

After a few more minutes, Mason stopped and pointed at a path of shoeprints in the snow. “Look! Those footprints! They’re the same as Sheila’s sandals!”

“Let’s go!” Chris yelled as they ran along the path.

They made it to a small gorge and noticed someone sitting with their back against the left wall. “There she is!” Chris pointed, recognizing their friend. Sheila had her eyes closed and hands folded behind her head, and one leg stretched out while the other was contracted like a slope. She was also swishing a lollipop around in her mouth.

“Sheila, there you are! What’re you doing out here?” Mason asked.

“And hey, that was mine!!” Chris yelled.

The raccoon sheila moved the lollipop around before pulling it out and opening her furrowed eyes. “I’m done.”

They stood in silence for several moments. Only the rushing blizzards could be heard. “Whaddo you mean you’re done?” Chris asked.

“The only reason I came out in space was ‘cause I wanted to go on cool space adventures. I didn’t wanna just _sit_ around, get captured, and wait for Nebula to do things or come tell us to do things. There’s no point of comin’ out in space if we can’t go on adventures of our own.”

They exchanged baffled glances. “Well, frankly Sheila, the only reason we’re out here was to deliver a dangerous criminal to GKND.” Chris told her. “We never scheduled helping Nebula out with her party, let alone going on this crazy adventure.”

“Plus, we’re not even on one of your ‘fun’ adventures.” Mason stated, but he had a noticeable frown on his face. “We’re on a mission as KND operatives to help save the universe from an evil adult mastermind. It’s not about fun and games…”

“Well, maybe it should be!” Sheila yelled. “Isn’t fun and games what separate kids from adults?? Kids are supposed to have a wondrous curiosity and need for adventure! And all you blokes have been lately is a pack of mopey saps! That’s why I ran off to explore this planet! ’Course, adventure’s no fun if you don’t have the mates to enjoy it with.”

“Sheila, if we don’t stop Tachyon, NO kid will be able to be free and have adventures.” Mason reasoned. “Isn’t sacrificing our own need for adventure for a short time worth it to save a million kids’?”

“We can’t stop an oppressor of freedom if we don’t express freedom ourselves.”

“Then perhaps you kids shouldn’t be FREE.”

“Yah, then perhaps we shouldn’t be free.” Sheila nodded. “Wait, who said that??”

 _CRASH!_ The kids jumped when Neftin Prog crash-landed on his feet a few feet away. “You kids wandered out of your playpen long enough. We have a nice new one set up for you in Zordoom.”

“Oh yeah?!” Chris exclaimed, lighting his fists with fire as he jumped, spinned, and threw a punch, but Neftin grabbed his leg and chucked him at Mason. With that, he grabbed Sheila by the left leg and held her upside-down.

“I thought I recognized you from Star Wolf’s wanted poster. You’re the daughter of Golden-Fist Marine, aren’t you? They’ll surely have a handsome bounty, for the daughter of a criminal.” The gorilla grinned wickedly, exposing his rotten teeth.

“EYUH!!” Sheila threw a powerful punch and clocked his face, knocking him back as she landed on her feet. “You don’t think I learned nothing from me mum?” she smirked.

Neftin growled and got up, wiping blood from his mouth as Chris jumped and punched a barrage of fireballs. Neftin spun his right fist and punched the air, breaking open a black hole and sucking the flames inside. He spun around, stopped, and thrusted his left arm forward, his palm open as another black hole opened and sent the fireballs back, knocking them down. “Uh-oh! He’s a spacebender, too!” Chris exclaimed.

“Correction:” Neftin began. “While not all beings can bend the elements, there are martial arts forms developed to mend one’s chi WITH the elements, producing similar actions. Spaceman Taijutsu is the form that combines chi with Space Energy, letting me manipulate space even though I’m not a bender. Observe.” With another twirl of his arm, Neftin threw a punch at the ground. A powerful force overcame the four as the gravity forced them against the ground.

“Gehhhhh, gehhhhh!” Sheila gritted her teeth with anger, weakly getting to her feet.

“Awwww! Is wittle kitty ears getting a wittle worked up?” Neftin taunted.

“Grrrrrrr!!” Sheila rapidly spun her left fist faster and faster, leaping high in the air and about to come down with a punch fiercer than a hundred Primate Punches. “I’LL YANK YOUR KITTY EARS, DRO-”

Neftin CLAPPED his hands before Sheila could get close, and another force of powerful gravity SMASHED her head from both sides. She fell to the ground, knocked out completely with the rest of her friends as she bled. “Hnn heeeh…” Neftin grinned with malice.

**At the _Aloha_**

Vanellope and Team Nebula finally made it back to Sector V. “Ohhhh.” Vanellope wobbled as she ran, leaning against a wall once they made it.

“What’s wrong with Vanellope?” Aurora asked.

“I have this weird headache.” she replied. “Got any popsicles?…”

“Where’s Sheila?!” Nebula shouted.

“Up here.” The kids gasped and looked up at this gruff voice. Standing upon the hill was Neftin Prog, and floating beside him was Vendra. The operatives were stricken with horror, seeing the unconscious bodies of Mason and Chris in his right arm, and Sheila in his left.

“Guys!!” Aurora screamed.

“Meh heh heh. This raccoon girl is strong, no doubt, and the firebender’s no sham, either. But in the end, true strength is what comes from toil and hardship. _And how much you value those close to you.”_ He said this with a burning glare in his single exposed left eye.

“It would be just as easy to catch the rest of you kids here, but let’s make it a little fun.” Vendra smirked. “If you wanna save their lives, come up to Zordoom.” And with that, she warped herself and Neftin, along with his captives.

“Z…Zordoom?” Aurora spoke with worry.

“Then… it was true?” Vanellope said quietly.

“Mason…” Haruka frowned with regret. “What will we do?” They all bore the same looks.

“We’ll go to Zordoom and get them back!” The group gaped at Vanellope’s response, seeing a determined look on her face. “There comes a time in every kid’s life when they have to break into a highly impenetrable prison. And… there’s no way around it. It’s in our destiny…”

This sounded weird, coming from Vanellope all of a sudden. But they knew she was right. They had to rescue their friends no matter what. A serious look burned in Nebula’s miscolored eyes as she looked to the starry sky. “I’ll save you, too… _Mom_. …Uh, MY mom… I mean. Not Mom… the person.”

 

**Ahhhh that joke is always convenient when it happens. X) So yeah, kind of an impactful chapter here, we got some development for Sheila, actually foreshadowing her role as the protagonist of my NEXT story. ;I Next time, we will head for Zordoom to try and rescue the three kids, as well as Nebula’s mother. Until then, try and guess the name of the two races Tachyon mentioned. ;I They’re NOT the Zathurians and Cragmites. Later.**


	18. Zordoom Prison

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The KND go to rescue their friends in Zordoom Prison!

**Yelloooo, youse guys, time to break into the most secure prison in Galaxia! And as we all know about highly secure prisons, they are not so secure when the main heroes come along. :P**

****

**_

Chapter 17: Zordoom Prison

_**

****

**_Aloha Oe_ **

_“Heck-deh-doy-y!”_ coughed Pollyx through the walkie-talkie. _“You’re going to break into Zordoom?! Have you lost your mind??”_

“Big deal, I break outta prisons all the time. It’s like, my 4th hobby.” Bender stated.

“I thought graffiti was your 4th hobby?” Vweeb asked.

“It mighta been 9th. I get ‘em mixed up sometimes.”

 _“That still doesn’t put me in a mood of- GAAAH!”_ Pollyx was pushed away.

 _“Numbuh Eternal, as your second-in-command, I strongly advise against doing this!”_ Jerome told her.

“For the last time, Jerome, when we’re not on duty and there’s no GKND, we’re just brother and sister.” Nebula replied.

_“Well as your BROTHER, I strongly advise against this!!”_

“Jerome, if there’s one thing about siblings, it’s that they usually don’t care what the other says.” Aurora told him.

“Jerome, I’m going to save Mom and the others and you can’t stop me.” Nebula stated. “…Uh, that is to say OUR mom. And if you wanna take this formally, then I order you as your Supreme Leader to not stop me.”

_“That’s not fair!”_

“And if you try to stop me, I’ll shrink you with spacebending and make you wash the inside of my shoes.” She smirked.

_“Siiiigh, you’re unreasonable. But how do you know Neftin and Vendra won’t still be there? Those two are much too strong for either of you to take.”_

“No doubt they’re planning to lure us in for a trap of some kind.” Nebula knew. “But they could’ve captured us right then if they wanted. We’ll just have to be ready for whatever they’re planning.”

_“Very well, Sis. But I’m not paying your bail if you get captured!”_

**Zordoom Prison**

“OIIII!” Sheila screamed as she furiously tugged on the bars of her tiny cell door window, pressing her feet against the door as she did so. “LET US OUTTA HERE OR I’LL PUNCH YOUR ROTTEN TEETH OOOOOUT!”

“Sheila, your screaming will blow our ears up long before it convinces them to let us out.” Chris told her, sat back against a corner.

“Especially when we don’t have Dillon’s shadowbending to bail us out.” Mason said as he walked around the cell.

“Hrrrr. Sounds like they’re enjoying it in there.” Neftin grinned evilly.

“Like moderately evolved apes in a highly evolved cell.” Vendra smirked.

“But why didn’t we attack Nebula when we had the chance? We could’ve taken those kids.”

“The reason is simple: you recall what happened on Legola. IRIS said that Lord Business could repair the Dimensionator, and you know he’ll be too stubborn to listen to us. But if Nebula is after the Dimensionator, and Business is indebted to her, he’ll definitely build it for her. When that time comes, we swoop in and TAKE it.”

“But that still doesn’t explain why we’re luring them HERE.”

“So Nebula can rescue her mother, of course.” Vendra said with a wicked smirk. “Because the two of them have something in common with us. I’d do it myself, but just so Tachyon doesn’t get suspicious. We may need his help a little longer. Either way, I’ll leave the choice up to Nebula. If by any chance she refuses, we’ll have her dealt with then and there…”

**Approaching Planet Viceron; home of Zordoom Prison**

The _Aloha Oe_ was approaching a light-red, dark-blue planet on the bottom of Galaxia’s solar system. “Is this whole planet a prison?” Aurora asked.

“No, it was originally a barren planet, except for some wildlife.” Nebula replied. In the background, Vanellope was still wobbling back and forth dizzily. “10,000 years ago, the galactic government bought a piece of land and built a prison to hold all their criminals. They also have other locations for witness protection, but it’s mostly-” They heard a thud and whipped around, finding Vanellope on the floor as her body began glitching.

They approached her worriedly as her eyes hung open while she lay, her body making no movements while she sparked. “Well, someone’s bored.” Bender remarked.

“Vanellope! What’s wrong?!” Dillon yelled, the most worried as he knelt down by her.

“She must be having a technical malfunction.” Aurora assumed. “She _has_ been jumping between computer systems a lot lately, not to mention the normal world.”

“You said you found her as a broken Program in an old computer system, right?” Nebula asked.

“Yeah, Dillon found her in a lost part of the KND computer network.” Aurora confirmed. “Then we downloaded her in our treehouse’s hologram machine as a solid hologram. She could barely survive anywhere else besides her intended network, so all this jumping around must be really unhealthy for her. Game-and-Watch had an easier time, though, probably because he didn’t have her glitch.”

Nebula felt sympathy for Dillon as he stared over his friend’s dysfunctional body. She heard how Dillon’s family took Vanellope in as their adopted daughter, so Dillon was close to her like a real sister. So seeing her so sick must’ve hurt him the worst. “U-U-U-U-U-U-U-U-” Vanellope stuttered rapidly before she began moving again, still on the floor. “So are we almost there?” she asked with an excited smile. She looked baffled when she found herself on her front. “Um, are we taking a nap?”

“Heheheh.” The team laughed humorously, though nervously.

The _Aloha_ passed the atmosphere and approached a huge, orange, armored building aiming several spotlights in the sky. Alarms started screeching across the base, blasting rapid machineguns at the ship. “’Guess Neftin and Vendra alerted them.” Haylee said. “Prepare for landing, we’re gonna charge straight in!”

Nebula reloaded her weapons and declared, “Kids Next Door, CHAAAARGE!” (Play the “Jailbreak” theme from _Ratchet: Tools of Destruction_.)

 

_Stage 21: Zordoom Prison_

_Mission: Save Dimentia and the captured operatives and escape from the prison!_

The team ran across the field to the front gate as machineguns shot at them from parallel rows of pillars, but Vanellope zipped around the turrets on the left and made them blast each other, as usual. Bender bent the pillars on the right and made some turrets upside-down, tricking them to shooting ones ahead of them. When all was done, the robot hurried to the barred gates and took a tremendous step over them, using his extendable legs, then bent the bars open for his allies before running ahead.

A troupe of Drophyd soldiers marched forward blasting guns as Kirie Beatles jumped high in the air and launched sharp flowers from her fans, slicing the Drophyds’ weapons before Dillon flung over and kicked their helmets off. Team Nebula hurried up a slope where Killbots were rolling down, blasting their machineguns as Bender stretched up and pulled himself to the top of the slope. With that, he stretched his arms and legs to both sides of the path before rolling down and toppling all the Killbots, leaving them in a disorganized pile on the bottom.

“Ohhh… I think I broke my oil basin-”

“SOMEONE SAID ‘YASIN’!” yelled a Killbot at the bottom before shooting and blowing up the whole pile.

There was a grind-rail across a chasm, so Bender and Vweeb held onto Nebula as she swung across a G.R.A.P.P.L.U.H. target, but it was still too far to reach. Thankfully, Bender held the target himself and stretched his legs to the rail’s end, letting Nebula grind across him and reach the rail before Bender hauled himself over. Bender actually grinded on the bottom of the rail, hanging by his legs as he went ahead of Nebula. The rail made a rightward turn down as they saw it was bent away from the following rail. When Bender grinded to that end, he quickly bent it back into place, and this repeated for following broken parts.

_“Will prisoner ‘Vorselon, Flint’, report to the main office. You have a package from a ‘Dr. A. Nefarious’. Flint Vorselon to the main office, you have a package from Dr. A. Nefarious.”_

The three took land on a small platform where Drophyds ambushed them, but Bender easily stretch-punched and pushed them over the edge. There were two Split Pads here, but the double grind-rails were far below in the chasm. “’Guess someone turned them off.” Nebula observed. “Hope Sector V can find the switch.”

Sector V was taking an alternate route, following a straight path with crates as Drophyd Enforcers stomped from ahead. They easily ran under the robos’ long legs as Aurora set fire to them, then Haruka threw gas, making the armored bodies explode. They eventually arrived at a dead end overlooking a chasm, but a computer terminal happened to be placed there. Vanellope hacked in and entered the code ‘Break-In’, which caused the double rails to rise on Nebula’s end.

Nebula noticed electric generators spread out around the rails, and how they eventually led to a huge glass wall blocking their way. “Looks like we have to activate all the generators to get through.” Nebula deduced. “Time to split up.” She stood on a Split Pad and divided in two, and both halves hopped on a rail to begin grinding down, both zapping Space Lightning whenever they saw a generator. Bender went with the right half while Vweeb rode on the left.

_“Will prisoner ‘Rattlesnake Jake’ please report to Cellblock D, you have been relocated. Prisoner Rattlesnake Jake, report to Cellblock D.”_

The rails eventually met up as the two Nebulas connected, and she had to zap one last generator before the glass wall opened and they could jump to a ledge. Meanwhile, the wall opened beside Sector V’s ledge as some Drophyds intended to bring in some crates, but weren’t prepared when the team charged in throwing weapons or powers. Doors began to close ahead, but didn’t shut all the way, leaving a tiny gap in the bottom that Dillon could Shadow Veil under. In the individual segments of the hall, Drophyds tried to shoot Dillon, but the shadow boy swiftly avoided and kept going. He knocked out the Drophyd at the end and pressed the switch to open all the doors, letting the rest of his team charge in and attack more troops.

With Nebula, her group landed on a route filled with searchlights, carefully skimming the area. “If those spot us, they’ll release the Drophyd Turrets in those barriers.” Nebula pointed. They noticed some Drophyds in mechanical flying pods inside green barriers.

“Yeah, I know the drill.” Bender replied, having been here before. The searchlights skimmed the area slowly, so they were easy to navigate around. The Drophyds, however, saw the trio passing by and tried desperately to escape from their barriers, but they couldn’t. The three reached a point where a long line of crates stretched across the left side, while a searchlight skimmed them back and forth from the right. The group simply crossed over the crates, but had to drop down every so often because a searchlight skimmed above the crates, too.

When they reached the end, Nebula launched them to a Grav-Path above, which had searchlights skimming thin, narrow paths, forcing the group to wait for them to pass. On the way, the Drophyds were extremely aggravated knowing they couldn’t do anything to stop them. “Ugh, this was the DUMBEST mechanic ever!” one yelled. Team Nebula finally arrived at a high foothold with a hall that led into the building. Parts of the wall were opening as Killbots rolled out, and the hall rang with bullet fire as the trio clashed against them.

_“Bail for prisoner ‘Strange, Hugo’ has been paid. You are free to go. Prisoner ‘Huge Strange’, your bail has been paid.”_

As Sector V fought their way through, they reached what seemed like a studio that was inside a cell. The label above read, _Arlon & Phosphora in: The Uneven Chaps_. Inside the cell, cameras recorded as Phosphora loudly blasted her hairdryer while Arlon quietly read a newspaper. “I say, Dearest, must you blast that contraption so abruptly?” Arlon asked.

“Hey, if I let my hair get all filthy, it’ll fall out and I’ll be bald like you.”

“Oh, I remember a time when young men and women simply dried their hair with a towel, or perhaps the fresh air. The chap who invented these metallic _banshees_ clearly did not understand the value of serenity.”

Sector V gave disbelieved stares before hurrying ahead. Another swarm of Drophyds charged them from ahead, but Vanellope glitched around and kicked all their helmets, making them confused. In their confusion, Mr. Game-and-Watch stuck a bunch of 2-D plugs into their suits, all connected to his little bell. _“RI-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-N-N-N-N-N-G!”_ The Drophyds’ eardrums were ready to pop, but this didn’t happen in time before their suits exploded, leaving their heads flopping about. Dillon and Kirie were beginning to squish some heads (just ‘cause it’s fun) while Vanellope planted her foot on a random one.

“Now YOU better tell me where our friends are or you’ll be SQUISHED marshmallow on my shoe.” She threatened in the cutest way possible.

“Ahh! They took those kids to the bottom floor in Wing Z!”

“Any clown-faced women?”

“The Zathurian? She’s on the same floor.”

“Thank you very _much- much- much- much- much- much- much- much-”_

She kept repeating this as her body glitched, so Aurora decided to gently pull the Drophyd out from under her foot. “Uhhh… sorry about that.” With that, she kicked the fish against the wall and knocked him out.

“Much- much- Hey, where’d he go?” Vanel asked once she stopped.

“Hey Nebula, your mom and our friends are on the bottom floor, Cellblock Z!” Aurora said into her communicator. “We’ll split up and try to meet you down there.”

“Okay. Let’s save them as soon as possible.” Nebula replied before hanging up. The trio saw some Drophyds come out of an elevator ahead. They knocked the squad out before jumping in, and decided to drop down the elevator shaft. Nebula had a light landing using her powers while Bender held the shaft’s rope as he slipped down, his hands scorched once he landed. “Ow-ow-ow-ow-ow-ow-ow-ow-ow!”

The three hurried down the hall and arrived at the ‘Robot Execution Room.’ It was a fairly wide room with parallel walkways going around the sides, and the path on the other side was barred. “’Guess this is yet another job for Bender!” the robot declared. “’Fact, now that I think about it, this room feels familiar- WHOOOOAA!” He was suddenly lifted near the ceiling, caught between two powerful magnets that were tugging him and slowly ripping him to pieces. _“A-A-A-A-A-A-A-H-H-H-H!”_ His body sizzled. _“HEY G-U-U-U-U-Y-Y-Y-S! Help me o-o-o-o-o-u-u-u-u-t!”_

The two switches to shut off the magnets were at the ends of the walkways, and a sign read _For your fun and enjoyment, both switches need to be pressed at once._ There were Split Pads placed, so Nebula got on the left one and divided in two, sending both onto opposite walkways. Only her left half carried the weapons to defend against Drophyds, so Vweeb had to defend the right one. Both halves reached the switches and pressed them at the same time, letting Bender drop to the ground. “OW!”

Bender bent the bars open so they could run forward, going down a long narrow flight of stairs. They reached the bathrooms and decided to enter the women’s room first, since Nebula was the leader. There was nothing of particular interest, but when Bender opened the stalls, he found a Bender Marking among many other graffiti writings. They snapped the picture before leaving to the boys’ room. _“Hehehehehehehe!”_ In this room, they noticed an air duct on the wall and a tiny cracked path within the wall leading up. Nebula shrunk Bender down with Space Shrink, and using the room’s dirty mirrors, she shrunk herself down.

The cracked path began above the urinals, which were close enough for the three to Wall Jump up. They followed the filthy path as bugs crawled out to attack them, but Neb and Vweeb kept them away with their weapons. They reached the vent and began to venture through, the light breeze of dusty air brushing past them. They walked over another duct and looked down into a cell, where a brown-haired boy in a straitjacket appeared to be talking to… no one clearly visible.

“Yes, Golly, I DID tell them I was talking to cartoons, that’s why I’m in here! Crocco, I doubt hitting them with a mallet would do any good. Tux, I am NOT in the mood for jokes! I don’t CARE what a can-opener is that can’t work! A CAN’T-opener, HOW original!”

Team Nebula exited a duct over a wide, cylindrical, windy shaft. They landed on a small walkway at the top, where they found an old mirror that Nebula used to re-expand, then Bender. “Think THAT takes us down to the bottom?” Bender asked.

“I don’t see a way down.” Vweeb said.

“Well, you know the only way to the bottom, right?” Nebula asked. “DROP!!”

“WAAAAAAAH!” Vweeb cried as they began to skydive down the empty shaft. Well, it wasn’t totally empty as mines floated around, so they had to navigate around. Drophyds hovered on jetpacks and tried to shoot them, but Bender stretched, grabbed them, and flipped stylishly before tossing them into mines and blowing away other Drophyds. Nebula spotted a floating capsule containing a Boulder Wisp in the center of a tunnel of mines, so Nebula carefully fell through and grabbed it.

They took land on the bottom as Nebula cried, “BOULDER!” and shot into the following maze of halls, bowling over all the Killbots and leaving a trail of their rubble wherever she went. If she didn’t grab that Wisp, they’d end up having to fight them all their self, so it was a good thing she did. The Color Power wore off by the time she blew down a good chunk of Killbots, her friends catching up as they read the label above, _Prison Wing Z_. “We made it! Let’s save our friends and get out of here!” She ran ahead.

“Let’s never sky-jump again.” Vweeb replied groggily.

“Just keep it over the shoulder.” Bender told him.

**With Dillon and Vanellope**

The adoptive siblings were charging to a squad of Killbots in another hall, but they had no time to shoot before Vanellope zipped over and glitched into their bodies, making them malfunction and shoot each other (’course, all they really need is a gun-related phrase). The Killbots were followed by a swarm of Drophyds, taking aim with rifles. “Nyaaah, these fishsticks just won’t stay cooked.” The candy girl smirked. “’Guess it’s time to serve them my hottest dish!” And she began zipping around and around as a beam of pixels, the Drophyds trying to follow along. “May your eyes never see straight again! After getting a taste of my Pixel Feet of a Million Lickety-Split KICK-!; _ick-ick-ick-ick-ick-ick-ick-!”_ She froze completely in midair, her foot aimed at the first intended Drophyd as her body sparked.

The Drophyds exchanged confused glances and all took aim at her. “NO!” Dillon ran to attack them, but one successfully shot Vanellope and knocked her out of the air. Fueled with rage, Dillon extended his shadow’s right fist to super-size and began to smash all their armor to pieces. Not totally satisfied, Dillon jumped around and squished their floppy bodies. With that, he ran to his injured sister as she lay weakened on the ground. “Vanellope!”

Her body glitched a little as she weakly sat up. “Ohhh… that guy musta been… a really good shot to hit me that fast.”

Dillon lifted her in his arms. “It’s okay, we’re heading back.” He spoke into his communicator, “This is Dillon, Vanellope’s been injured so I’m taking her back to the ship. Tell Mason I’m sorry I couldn’t help bail him out.” He began to run back, carrying Vanellope the whole way.

**With Team Nebula**

The team of three finally arrived at Prison Wing Z near the building’s bottom, where they saw a light shining from one of the cell door’s windows. “That must be them!” Nebula assumed.

“Well, well… so you came here after all.” (End song.) The team looked up as Vendra floated down, while Neftin dropped down with a thud. “I expected you to. You little kiddies just can’t survive without each other.”

“Get out of our way! We’re freeing my mom and our friends!” Nebula told her. 

“Oh, rest assured… I have every intention of letting you _try_ to rescue them.” Vendra wore her usual smirk and glare. “There’s just… _one_ thing I can’t help but feel curious about: _why_ are you trying to find the Dimensionator, anyway?” 

“So that Tachyon can’t get his hands on it, and we can use it against him!” 

“Hmph. If you don’t want Tachyon to find it, you shouldn’t look for it at all. You have another reason for wanting to find it…” 

“…” Nebula was silent, baring an anxious look.

“What is she talking about?” Vweeb asked.

“Ahhh… so it’s true.” Vendra observed.

“Siiigh.” Nebula sighed and looked down. “Well, the truth is… I did wanna find the Dimensionator to stop Tachyon… but… part of me… wanted to use it to find Zathura, too. Remember the Transportifier I used to send Cheren to Termina? The main reason I built that was to try and find Zathura. As leader of the Galactic Kids Next Door, I talk to so many kids from different cultures, and I never knew my own culture. My mom barely cared about her culture as a kid, so I couldn’t learn from her. And not just Zathura, but other universes, too. There’s just… so much out there I’d like to explore. And with the Dimensionator, I _knew_ I could accomplish that.”

“That’s exactly what I want, too.” Vendra said. “We have the same goal, Nebula. We both never knew our cultures, and we want to see them. That’s why I stole your Space Chi: even with the Dimensional Fragments, the Dimensionator can only go so far. Ironic as it sounds. That’s why, with _our_ power added, it can extend its reaches, and _find_ our homes. All four of us: you, me, Tachyon… and the King of Space.”

“The King of Space?” asked Nebula with surprise. “The one who gave you your powers?”

“Yes, thank you for snooping through my stuff. I don’t know who he is, but he was banished from his home the same as we were. And he wants to help me, so _I_ want to help him. But I wouldn’t mind lending you a hand, too. So whaddya say, Nebula? Screw what Tachyon says and let’s find the Dimensionator together. We’ll use its power to return to our homes and we can have everything we ever dreamed. Doesn’t that sound marvelous?”

Nebula became serious again and shook her head. “No. As much as I want to find my people, I can’t let you or Tachyon get away with any of this. No matter how you look at it, you’re both criminals and need to be stopped. We’re freeing Sector V and locking you in their cell.”

“Huh.” Vendra frowned. “So in the end, you have no care for your people at all. Just these little runts. Oh well… I’ll be making sure they stay in their cell. And _you_ can go in with them, after we knock you… Huh?” When she turned toward the cell, she took particular notice of the light dimming on and off in the door window. “Wait… there aren’t any lights in these cells. What the…”

She approached the cell cautiously, hearing a whirring sound as she floated beside and peeked into the window. _“GRRRRRR!!”_ Vendra gasped with shock when a powerful force BURST the door off its hinges, smashing Vendra against the opposite wall. Everyone looked toward the cell with mouths agape. Sheila Frantic stood in the doorway, panting and sweating heavily as her left fist steamed red. “Nnnnnn!” She shook her hand. “Blimey! Oi guess the bigger the Light Fist, the more it’s gonna hurt in the morning! Ouch!”

“But that’s impossible!” Vendra yelled. “That cell was reinforced Raritanium! There’s no way you could’ve…”

“Wow, way to go, Sheila!” Mason cheered as they left the cell. “That was amazing!”

“What did she do?” Nebula asked.

“It was the greatest Light Punch ever!” Mason exclaimed. “You should’ve seen it!”

“Oi’d like to show you again, but me knuckles’re a little red from the pounding.” Sheila said, still holding her fist.

“She used a lot of energy.” Mason said. “She needs a rest. Let’s get back to the _Aloha_ quickly.”

“We have to save my mom, first.” Nebula told them. “Try and locate the others and meet us back there.”

“Be careful.” Chris nodded as they ran off, with Mason having to help Sheila along.

“Grrrr. I don’t have time for this. Go squash those kids, Nef, I have somewhere ta be.” And with that, Vendra warped away. Neftin looked in the direction of Sector V, but turned and glared at where Team Nebula ran. He focused his sights on them.

Team Nebula made it to the lowest point of the prison, where a single Drophyd was guarding Dimentia’s cell. “Stop right there! I am under strict orders to protect this cell at all costs!”

Bender narrowed his eyes and pulled a plate of steaming fishsticks from his compartment. In seconds, the Drophyd surrendered his keys and let them open the cell. “Thank you, Bud!” Bender said before punching and knocking him out. With that, the three friends enjoyed steaming fishsticks.

Dimentia sat in the back of the dark cell and looked up when the door creaked open, letting in the light. “Mom!”

“Nebula?” Dimentia looked surprised as her daughter ran in and embraced in a hug. “How did you get down here?”

“Anything’s possible with Sector V.” She smiled and shrugged. “Quick, let’s get outta here!” She ran and tried to pull her along.

“Where’re we going?”

“Well, first we’re going to the Kreeli Comet. The IRIS Supercomputer says she has something from your parents!”

“My parents?!” Dimentia pulled away, suddenly filled with anger. “I have no interest in them!”

“What? But you haven’t seen them in two million years! Wouldn’t you want some kind of…”

“My brother and I were _abandoned_ by our parents after we were born. Why, because we were the first and only spacebenders to exist on Zathura. Even among a planet of freaks, we were singled out, forced to live in a circus. And if they didn’t do that… maybe I wouldn’t’ve become a crazy dictator bent on destroying the universe.”

“Maybe, but… if they decided to keep you, you might not’ve been around in the future to, well, eventually save the universe. You couldn’t’ve met all the friends you came to know, and, _then there’s me and Jerome…”_

“Siiigh. Fine, a lot of good things happened because they abandoned me… but I still had to go through 2 million years of suffering. They were still bad people for abandoning us and I don’t want anything to do with them!”

“Boy, your mama’s more of a bitch than she let on- OW!” Nebula smacked Bender with the S.H.O.O.T.E.R..

“Mom, maybe there’s a _reason_ your parents abandoned you. Like, so your powers wouldn’t be abused. It wouldn’t hurt to see the message because it might be an apology.”

“I don’t care. Besides…” Dimentia turned around and walked back to the cell. “The whole thing matters nothing to me now.”

“What do you mean?”

“Ever since I began to redeem myself… it’s been my goal to put my past behind me. I didn’t want to remember anything. My parents, Zathura, the Cragmites… they all bring bad memories and I wanted to forget them. That’s why… I hated Tachyon so much. It wasn’t _just_ because of his ideas, he was the only remnant remaining from my past. It’s also why… I can’t go with you now.”

“Can’t go with me?! After the trouble we went through of coming here?!”

“Well, there was Sector V.” Vweeb reminded.

“Nebula…” Dimentia turned halfway to her daughter with a serious look in her right, black eye. “I had that tape prepared for a while. I wasn’t even sure if Tachyon would be after me. But all along, I planned for _you_ to look for the Dimensionator. Because I wanted nothing to do with Tachyon, I wanted to let myself get captured and rest in the safety of this cell. I wanted you to find the Dimensionator and send Tachyon away. Then when it was all done, I wanted the Dimensionator destroyed. I could finally erase all remnants of my past… and only move toward the future.”

“Is that why you never told me anything about your planet? Is that why you didn’t care?” Nebula asked, voice filled with hurt.

“Yes. It wouldn’t do you any good to know about the place that brought me bad memories. It may be ancient history… but it’s history best left forgotten.”

“Mom, I don’t CARE about your bad memories! I just wanted to know about my heritage, where we came from! And if we had the Dimensionator, we could go back there and see what it’s become!”

“You were born on Star Haven and you live in Galaxia, that’s your only heritage.” Dimentia stated. “And all Zathura is now is a wasteland of lost hopes and dreams. It’s a black hole that’s developed an unholy consciousness, whose only goal is to eat everything in sight and leave nothing. That’s why the gods sealed it. And thanks to me, it almost attained that goal, and that’s why you should NEVER open it!”

“…” Nebula stared with anger. “Maybe Zathura is in ruin by now… and maybe it is destructive… I can understand that. But Mom… you can’t just abandon your past. It shapes who you are, and why you do the things you do. And if I send Tachyon away with the Dimensionator… it’s only so he can be with his people, too. So he can know where he came from. That message from your parents might be the closest thing you can get.”

Dimentia sighed again and faced the cell. “I’m sorry, but I’m not going. I’d just be a burden, anyway. Vendra sucked my powers away, too. And they had no use for me since they couldn’t acquire any artifacts. But… I will tell you this: they mentioned the location of one of the Dimensional Fragments. It’s divided in two halves, and both halves were entrusted to two races who have been at war for a hundred years.”

“What two races are those?” Vweeb asked.

“Hm hm hm…” Dimentia chuckled, suddenly feeling very humorous. “It’s funny… that this whole story was brought up, now that I think about it. Because you are in the same situation, Vweeb!” She turned and focused her furrowed eyes on Vweeb, baring a devious smirk.

“W-What?” Vweeb was totally baffled.

“Have you ever wondered why your parents never took you to Glomour or Kateenia?”

Nebula looked at him with shock. So Vweeb was never taken to his planets of origin either? It already sounded like her own story. “Is that true?!”

“Y…Yeah.” Vweeb was feeling very anxious now.

“Hm hm hm. It’ll hurt you to know… your parents’ relationship was originally built on a lie. The two opposing races, who own the Dimensional Fragment pieces… are the Glomourians and Kateenians!”

Their mouths popped wide open. Bender was a little confused though, having no idea what any of this meant.

“Your mother knew. But your _father_ didn’t. And for 20 years… she never said a word.”

 _“Mmm HM HM hm hm! Half-GLOMOURIAN? Then someone forgot to update my software!”_ The words of the hysterical robot waitress suddenly made sense in Vweeb’s mind.

“If you don’t believe me, go and ask them.” Dimentia told them. “Anyway… good luck to you, Nebula. Just as I’ve abandoned my past… the future of the Galactic Kids Next Door belongs to you now. You’ve already proven to be a better leader than I was… so only you can finish the quest.” And so, she reentered the cell and shut the door.

“…” Nebula still stared questioningly at her mother. “Let’s go.” They began to run off.

They reached the cylindrical room and looked up the gaping shaft, seeing a Gravity Path that led straight up. “Let’s get back to Sector V and go after that next fragment. I don’t know if this war is true, but it’s probably one we’ll have to fix. Hopefully Vweeb’s parents will- WHOA!” The three jumped back when Neftin Prog smashed down from above.

“You aren’t going anywhere.” said Neftin with a glare. “No matter what, I can’t allow you to recover the Dimensionator. It’s time I stopped you, once and for all, and save my sister from-” He shielded himself when a barrage of Starbursts suddenly fired at him from above.

“I’m afraid I’ll have to deny your request for vengeance.” Jerome said as he lowered to the floor before Neftin.

“Jerome!” exclaimed Nebula with surprise.

“I couldn’t let you break in here without backup. Did you save our mother?”

“She…She’s going through some drama. She can’t come now.”

“Hmm… well, it could’ve ended worse. Anyway, it’s time for you to head out of here, Nebula. This man will be no challenge.”

“We’ll see who’s REALLY no challenge, you WORM!” Neftin leapt high and tried to punch down on Jerome, but the boy swiftly dodged right and slammed a Starburst against Neftin’s face, flinging him away.

“Whoa!” Nebula was surprised at her brother’s strength.

“That’s your cue to leave.” Jerome told her professionally. “The universe cannot wait forever. Oh… and I should probably mention.” He turned to her with a smile. “After I told Vweeb’s parents that we dropped Makava off on Glomour, his mother did not look pleased.”

“…” That confirmed it was true. “Okay. Be careful, Jerome.” With that, Nebula levitated to the Grav-Path and began to hurry up with Bender and Vweeb.

“Ohhhh.” Neftin got back up and shook his head, glaring at the Zathurian male.

“Your Spaceman Taijutsu is impressive, but it still takes a lot of time to bond with the element itself.” Jerome told him, back to his usual serious frown. “I for one have mastered the _quiet_ side of Space. While Space is open and accepting, like Nebula, it is also quiet and expressionless, like myself. My personality is one that helps me put big obnoxious brutes like you in your place.”

“Hurrrrr. If that’s how you want it, then FINE. I’ll squeeze the life out of you first. No matter what… I will see to it that no harm comes to my sister.”

“Then so it begins. Let our clash commence…”

And both opponents declared, “FOR MY SISTER!!” (Play Black Doom’s Battle Theme from _Shadow the Hedgehog_.)

 

_Boss fight: Neftin Prog_

“URRRRAAAAAH!” Neftin launched forward again and slammed his fist down, but Jerome kept dodging as the big brute came. When Neftin was wearing out, Jerome threw a barrage of Starbursts at his face, but Neftin punched the air and made a black hole to suck in the beams, sending them back at Jerome, who dodged. The gorilla-Nether began to make zipping movements around Jerome as the Zathurian kept an eye on him, unprepared when Neftin split into several copies with his zipping, leaping up and successfully smashing Jerome to the ground.

“Uuuuuhh!” Jerome moaned as he weakly recovered, barely warping in time when Neftin tried another smash-down. He warped behind Neftin and threw more Starbursts, then dodged back when the Nether swung his arm behind. Neftin then whipped out double spiked ball-n-chains, electrified as he whirled and lashed them rapidly at Jerome. Jerome dodged the first few shots, but was slammed against the wall by another shot. Neftin leapt forward with another punch, but Jerome whipped a Starburst at his crotch to knock him back.

Jerome recovered and flew around as Neftin turned, and the two began to throw punches that seemed to equal in strength as they blocked the other’s fist. Neftin did a horizontal punch that Jerome dodged back, then had to move around as Neftin lashed his ball-n-chains again. Jerome dodged left when a ball-n-chain came, but wasn’t prepared when it shot out its spikes and stuck Jerome against the floor. He gasped when the other ball-n-chain was about to smash him, but Jerome quickly warped and kicked Neftin upside the face.

Neftin jumped away and sheathed his weapons before beginning to punch the empty air, his fists bursting through black holes that spawned all around Jerome, the boy dodging quickly before the fists began to punch and knock him around. When the fists stopped, Jerome couldn’t dodge when Neftin zipped over, grabbed him, and chucked him forcefully against the wall. Neftin then twirled around and thrusted his hands toward the wall, causing a force of gravity to bind Jerome against the wall. As the Zathurian struggled, Neftin ripped off pieces of the floor and threw them against Jerome, the gravity causing them to stick.

Jerome eventually regained composure and formed a Gravity Bubble to unstick and make the debris float. He aimed a hand at Neftin and channeled the gravity strongly to make the debris fly and stick on him. “GRAH!” Neftin blew the debris off and leapt at Jerome again, trying to punch him as the boy dodged. Neftin decided to punch the air next to him, channeling gravity in that spot to pull Jerome in, then allowing Neftin to punch him away. As Jerome recovered on the ground, Neftin punched the ground and caused parts of it to explode, making Jerome jump around. Neftin slammed the ground with both hands and surrounded Jerome with explosions, but the boy already warped behind, caught Neftin in a Space Block, and exploded it.

Neftin survived the blast, but was covered in soot as his right mechanical monocle was sparking. The gorilla-Nether threw rapid punches at the ground, and Jerome felt himself pelted by thrusts of gravity that forced him on his back. With him grounded, Neftin whipped out his ball-n-chains and swung them around before launching them above and connecting them, forming a bigger, deadlier ball-n-chain. Neftin leapt up high and used spiked shoes to stick to the wall, swinging his Super Prog Wrecker in both hands. (“Is THAT what it’s called?” Jerome asked, unimpressed.)

Jerome weakly opened his eyes, still on the ground as he dreaded the impending doom under the wrecking ball. He managed to lift his arms, hold his hands in a framing position, and just before the Prog Wrecker launched, Jerome expanded a giant portal that caught the spikeball perfectly. Neftin looked confusedly, but gasped when another portal spawned before him, and the wrecking ball flew out and smashed him.

Jerome helped himself up and brushed off, not changing his professional look. He looked up as the wrecking ball dropped out, revealing Neftin’s smashed, bruised body with broken teeth and armor. The Nether tumbled out and thudded on the ground, grunting painfully as he tried to stand. (End song.)

“Hehhh, hehhh, hehhh…” Neftin began to breathe heavily, barely standing as he glared at Jerome. “How… You’re just as big as those other brats… and nowhere near muscular, hurrr… How are you so strong?”

“I must admit, I’m a little surprised myself. And all in my attempt to allow Nebula enough time to get out of here.”

“But why?”

“It’s my duty to protect her as her second-in-command… and her brother.”

Right away, memories flashed through Neftin’s head.

_“Uuh, uwuh!” Vendra grunted as the bullies punched her away._

_As Neftin skimmed books in the orphanage’s bookshelf, he found a particular one about Element-Style Combat._

_“I promise… I won’t let anyone hurt you again, Sister.”_

“…Hmmm.” After standing back up, Neftin got to his knees and held his arms out. “I surrender.”

“…” Jerome was taken by surprise, still keeping his professional look. “Why all of a sudden?”

“Because, you and I have something in common, too. We both risk so much… for the sake of protecting our sister.”

“Hm hm hm. Sisters are annoying, aren’t they?” Jerome smiled.

“More than you know. But ever since she spoke with that ‘King of Space,’ I knew something was wrong. We don’t know who he is… but I was always afraid he was another bully trying to take advantage of her. Before he appeared, Vendra was always the weaker one. Always so afraid. Then after she got her powers, she’s become so mean and soulless. It could be a result of the bullying, I know… but the King of Space still played a part in it. And I know… something bad is going to happen if she uses that Dimensionator. Please… all I want you to do is… help me stop her!!!”

“…”

“In the process, you’ll be helping Nebula, too. You can stop Tachyon’s plan, and get Nebula her powers back.”

“…Very well. I’ll trust you for now. But in return, if we are successful… you and Vendra must turn yourselves in.”

“…We will.”

 

**Hoooo, this shoulda been updated sooner. Regardless, we rescued the Sector V members and learned the location(s) of the next fragment. Boy, bet no one was expecting that, huh, the Glomours and Kateenians hate each other. Before we go there, there’s a few things we gotta do first. And even though Dimentia is a good guy now, she still has problems. And what is Vanellope’s condition? All I’ll say is… What happens when your decades-old videogame console finally loses its juice? Anyhoo… see you later.**


	19. Vanellope’s Defection

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dillon hears terrible news about Vanellope.

**Ayyyy boy, isn’t _Naruto: Shippuden_ a good show! So yeah, welcome back guys, we’re gonna do some stuff right quick before heading off to Glomour/Kateenia. Enjoy the program!**

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Chapter 18: Vanellope’s Defection

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**_Aloha Oe_ **

Haruka finished wrapping bandages around Sheila’s fist as the _Aloha_ was leaving Viceron’s atmosphere. “Your bones were hurt pretty bad, but they should be fine in a few days. Don’t ever wander off again, Sheila!” she stated scoldingly.

“Meh meeeeh.” she mumbled.

“Great, Haruka, now hurry up and help Vanellope!” Dillon demanded as their Program friend lay on a bed, still glitching. “She took a bullet, and she’s already feeling sick!”

“I don’t know how to treat Programs!” Haruka yelled. “Ask a computer genius for that!”

“Vanellope IS a computer genius! Come on, Artie, YOU guys must know something!”

“Heh heh. Sorry, dude, but I’m barely learning _robots_.”

“DOESN’T ANYBODY KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT VIRTUAL MEDICAL CARE?” Dillon screamed.

“Calm down, Dillon!” Aurora yelled. “We’ll bring her back to Pollyx and have _him_ watch after her!”

“I hope Jerome’s okay, though…” Nebula said worriedly. “I know he’s a pretty good spacebender and all, but…”

“He’ll be fine, Nebs.” Vweeb said simply. “More importantly, we need to ask my mom if this whole Kateenia-Glomour War is true.”

“Not yet. First we need to fly to Legola and ask Lord Business if he knows anything about building the Dimensionator. We can get him started on it, then when we bring the other fragments…”

“But haven’t we decided that building the Dimensionator would be a BAD idea?” Vweeb asked.

“I don’t care what my mom says… the Dimensionator can bring cultures together. If anything, we’ll use it to send Tachyon back to his people.”

“Why not bring _his_ people _here_?” Bender asked. “How d’you know these Craggles or whatever are still bad?”

“That’s a good question, but I’m sure they’re adjusted to their new home by now, so it wouldn’t be right to take them away. Anyway, we’ll fly off to Legola and talk to Business, you guys head to Pollyx and drop off Vanellope. Then meet us down on Sunny Island, Aquaria.”

“Roger, roger.” Aurora nodded. “Don’t worry, Dillon, we’ll save her.”

“I hope…”

The Shooting Star flew out of the _Aloha_ and off to Legola.

**Coruscant; Tachyon’s office**

The shrimpy emperor and his elderly accomplice watched the scene caught on Zordoom’s camera play on their terminal, where Vendra spoke to Nebula. “Hmmm… I wonder what they’re _talking about_.” Mom said with a disinterested frown.

“It looks like she’s trying to _betray_ me.” Tachyon deduced.

“SHE IS trying to betray you, you KLUTZ!” Mom smacked him across the face, making some matter particles disperse and come back. “I TOLD you we shouldn’t have trusted that tool!”

“Patience, Mumsy, without her assistance, we may’ve never gotten this far. And with 4 out of 6 fragments found, the Dimensionator will soon be ours. As soon as she helps us power it, I’ll have her tossed into Zordoom with the Zathurian.”

“Brilliant.” Mom still frowned. “And just what did you plan to do about the ever-so raging Glomours and Kateenians? I for one vote we just capture ALL those yellow walking termites and bake them into fluid-filled popcorn.”

“Mum, you must not be so hasty. The Kateenians are stronger than you may see at first. It’s all a matter of provoking them first. I have secretly assigned Drophyd troopers to aid both sides and further increase their hateful feelings toward the other. They are also persuading them that the other has hired Nebula and her silly friends to infiltrate their homeground. But when the time comes, I’ll have both races, as WELL as those Kids Next Dim, dealt with at once! Then we’ll be just _one_ fragment away from acquiring my _prize_ …”

**Legola; Octan Tower**

Team Nebula returned to Legola and landed on the landing pad on the side of the tower. They entered Lord Business’s office, who was quick to greet them. “Ahhh, my new friends! Welcome back! Here to ask me about good business tips?”

“Hm hm, I don’t need any more of THAT.” Nebula laughed. “We’re actually here on an urgent matter. Ever heard of a device called the Dimensionator?”

“The Dimensionator? The thing the Drophyds have been looking for?”

“Yes, but the original machine has been disabled. We were told YOU hold the only blueprints in order to build it.”

“Hmmm…” He had a serious look. “Come with me.”

In moments, they were whipping down a speeding elevator, all the way down the Octan Tower and into its basement. They finally stopped as Business walked forward, leading them to a chamber of old, dusty file cabinets, made of Legos. “All the presidents of Legola are given confidential access to lost files.” He opened a drawer, pulled out, and unfolded large blueprints of a dome-shaped machine with several devices, and slots where the Dimension Fragments should go. “But we’re never supposed to work from them. The truth is, this is a machine I’ve been wanting to build for years, but I could only find one of the crucial pieces.”

“Plenty of hot steamin’ pieces right here.” Bender said, revealing his stash of Dimensional Fragments in his chest.

“Now that should be plenty to work with. But why are you suddenly interested in building it?”

“We need to stop Tachyon, and that might be the only way. After all, he has matterbending powers, so it won’t do to just beat him senseless or throw him in prison. It’s safer if he’s in another dimension.” Nebula explained.

“Why not just kill ’im?” Bender asked.

“I don’t _do_ that, Sir.”

“Hmmmm. Well, since I’m indebted to you, I’ll try to whip this up. But the materials Legola has won’t cut it, unfortunately. I need a special metal called Alumitanium. I heard a rumor that the right metals can be found on a barren planet near Forest Moon Endor. If you bring me some, I might be able to get started.”

“That planet with the robot dinosaurs?” Vweeb asked.

“Hey, maybe the fallen dinos and metal trees are what you’re talking about!” Nebula beamed. “We’ll fly there and try and grab a few parts!”

“If you do, I may just fly to this planet myself.” Business said. “I’m suddenly curious.”

“Hm hm, well there isn’t a life there, so you shouldn’t have to worry about monsters.”

“There were ROBOTS there!” Bender yelled.

“Yah, but they got wiped out.” Vweeb reminded. “We got nothin’ to worry about!”

“How much of the Alumitanium do you need, anyway?” Nebula asked.

“Bring me 10 pounds to be safe. It’s not a material that comes around often. Unless you’re a BIG shot like the Corporate Presidents!” Business whined hatefully.

“Hm hm, I should be able to bring plenty with my Space Shrink. But is that all we need?”

“There’re a few extra materials, but nothing you can’t find at the hardware or children’s store. Just focus on bringing that Alumitanium and the rest of those fragments.”

“We will.” Neb nodded. “Thanks for your help.” The three hurried back to the ship to begin their sidequest.

**Great Library, Cloud City**

“Yes, he’s gone there, too, but I haven’t heard from either of them. Eh, were they captured? 50 soldiers found unconscious, that’s wonderful! Er, eh-I mean, very sorry. Well, maybe it’s not a total loss, we’ll let her find the other fragments and-”

“Mr. Pollyx!”

“GYAH!” Pollyx jumped several feet and quickly hung up as Sector V ran in, with Dillon carrying an unconscious Vanellope.

“Mr. Pollyx, Vanellope’s hurt, we need you to look at her!” Haruka yelled.

“Good nectar, kids, I’m a professor, not a doctor!”

“Well, she’s a Program, you gotta know SOMEthing!” Dillon argued, setting his friend carefully on the table.

“Okay okay, keep your jeans on, I’ll see what I can do.” He began to observe the glitching Program. “Ehhh, what seems to be the problem?”

“She got shot by a laser, and she’s also been acting really weird!”

“Hmmm, well if I know anything about Programs, all they need is a quick update from the latest software. Um, how exactly do you want her, built-in laser fingers, helicopter hair, um…”

“Just the way she was before.” Dillon told him, feeling a little more calm. “Fun and glitchy. Uh, but not like that.”

“Ehhh, if you say.” Pollyx replied confusedly as he took Vanel to another room.

“See, Dillon, Vanellope will be fine.” Aurora assured with a smile. “Now let’s go meet Nebula on Aquaria.”

“You guys go ahead.” Dillon told them. “I wanna stay here and watch her.”

“Oh… okay.” Aurora saw that concerned look in Dillon’s eyes, so she thought it best to comply. “Let’s go, the rest of you. The sooner we end this war, the sooner I can get back to Chewy Pellets.” They returned to the _Aloha_ while Dillon stood in place and looked worriedly in Vanellope’s direction.

**Mecha Jungle; for like the 4th time or something**

The Shooting Star entered the atmosphere and took land once again in the jungle of metal. They climbed out and began viewing the area. “No sign of any dinos.” Nebula said.

“Aren’t any cavemen here, either.” Bender noticed.

“Why would there be cavemen?”

“Read the other chapter.”

“Pollyx said he needed a material called Alumitanium,” Nebula recalled, “so let’s examine these trees.”

But before they began, however, they heard the metal bushes rustling and looked to see a humanoid female robot, with a metal explorer’s uniform, calmly step through and approach them with a net ready. They merely stared as Bender scratched his head; kind of like an ape would.

“Don’t worry, little ones. I’m not gonna hurt you.” She tossed the net over Bender.

Bender whistled. “Hey, lemme catch YOU in a net sometime. _Grrrrrowl.”_ He said smoothly.

The woman gasped, “You can talk?! You weren’t wearing clothes, so I thought you were…”

“Still not as intelligent as you think.” Nebula smirked, earning a glare from Bender.

“ _You_ can talk, too?! This is incredible! Until now, I thought flesh-and-blood life was only a myth!”

“Well, we learn a new thing every day!” Vweeb said. “But listen, mind pointin’ us to some Alumitanium?” The woman tossed a smaller net over Vweeb, who gave a disbelieved look.

The woman led them into a town populated by robots, and all the buildings were made of metal. They entered a museum that featured bones of robot dinosaurs, and a glass case showed a chain of the man-robot evolution, starting from a bedspring, to R2 from _Star Wars_ , the robot from _Lost in Space_ , the robot caveman, and ended at Jenny from _Teenage Robot_. “This is weird. First, there were robot dinosaurs. And then cavemen, apparently…” Nebula recapped.

“And then robo-humans!” Vweeb concluded. “This planet’s going through the whole evolutionary chain!”

“But how could they evolve so much in a few days?”

“Like I said: robots do everything faster than humans!” Bender replied. “Like evolve, and go through evolutionary chains!”

“Does that mean you _die_ faster, too?” Vweeb smirked.

“We only do the essentials faster, to remain superior to other beings.”

“What’ll it be like if we come tomorrow?…” Nebula wondered.

The three stepped up on a stage as the explorer woman stood at the podium. “Naturalists of the Museum of Natural Robo-History, thank you for coming today to witness this amazing discovery! Lady-trons and gentlebots: I present to you, Nebula, Vweeb, and Bender!” The museum attendees clapped as the three approached the podium and waved.

“Wait a second!” someone spoke up. “That robot resembles the Great Goliath our people have been constructing for the last 2000 years!”

“Yes, he does!” a woman followed. “The one we based off the painting!” She directed their attention to another infamous Bender Marking inside of a glass case.

“We recovered that painting from a cave, believed to have been left there by the early Robo sapiens during the Steel Age.” Another man said. “We believed it was some kind of entity the Robo sapiens idolized. Could they, perhaps, have prophesized…?”

“That’s right, I’m your god!” Bender exclaimed. “And these meatbags here are my vassals! They’ll demonstrate by finding me some beer- OW!” Nebula bashed him again with the S.H.O.O.T.E.R..

“(Only use this weapon has now.)” she mumbled. “Look, guys, Bender isn’t some god or idol, that’s just some graffiti he decided to make when we were here a few days ago.”

They gasped with horror. “But that’s impossible!” the explorer woman exclaimed. “This painting was found in a cave unexplored for millions of years!”

“The girl speaks lies!” a male scientist pointed out. “Our Robot Earth was created in eons, not days!”

“Well, the PLANET may’ve existed for eons, but all of YOU people evolved from a swarm of tiny robot bugs that tried to eat us a few days ago. They turned into dinos, then cavemen, then, well…” Nebula tried to explain.

“This is madness!” the scientist yelled. “You have no proof!”

“Yes I do! Take a look at this picture of Bender I snapped being mauled by a robot dino.” Nebula showed them her camera, which displayed a picture of a robot T-rex furiously swinging Bender around.

The explorer woman looked down with despair. “I don’t wanna live on this planet, anymore.” And she flew through the ceiling and beyond the atmosphere with rocket shoes.

Team Nebula looked up until she was totally gone above the clouds, then looked down at a group of angry museum-goers. “Eh, hehe… so, um, about that Alumitanium…” Nebula began nervously.

“Arrest those three for crimes against evolution!”

In seconds, Nebula and Bender were in handcuffs, while Vweeb was locked in a tiny cage.

**Superior Gort**

The three were taken to a courtroom filled with, you guessed it, robots, and seated at the defendants’ stand. “All rise before the honorable Judge 12765824082.” The bailiff spoke as the judge rolled up on stage.

He banged his gavel. “The case of _Everyone v. Weird Flesh Beings Plus Robot_ is now in session. Prosecution, what is your verdict?”

“We find the mysterious strangers guilty, your honor.”

“WHAT?!” Nebula screamed. “The trial didn’t even begin!!”

“Told you, we do everything faster than humans.” Bender told them simply. “This trial was done 5.3 seconds before it began.”

“Very well.” The judge said. “I sentence the prisoners to be executed by the Great Goliath which they boldly imitate.”

“What is the Great Goliath, anyway?” Nebula asked.

“That which you boldly imitate!” The judge replied. “See for yourself!”

The ceiling flapped open and the walls fell down, and before Team Nebula’s stunned eyes, there stood a colossal robot, 500 feet tall, designed just like Bender. “…Yeah, it’s definitely _big_ all right. I just wonder if it’s _too_ big.” Bender began once again, earning disbelieved looks from Neb and Vweeb. “Like, will they remember _me_ , or the goliath- OWW!” Nebula smacked him.

“Bender’s painting was discovered 2000 years ago, and from it we deciphered data, data dictating important instructions which this automaton was meant for.” The judge announced.

“And that is?” Neb asked.

“KILL ALL HUMANS!” At this, all the robots cheered, including Bender, who earned another smack. “And your presence here has confirmed, there _is_ fleshy life on other worlds. Our Great Goliath, made from the purest Alumitanium, shall fly off and _destroy_ all humans in the universe!”

“I always wanted to have a part in bringing an end to all humanity.” Bender said with teary eyes. “But I thought it would be nothing more than a dream. To see this…” he gave a loud, moaning sob, “I’ve never been more happy to be me: Bender.”

“GIVE IT a rest, we have to thrash this thing!” Nebula yelled. “Not only is it made of Alumitanium, we can’t let it wipe out the human race.”

“Mmmm, ruining all my fun, mmm-nn…” Bender grumbled.

“You, who have opposed our theories of evolution, shall be the first to know its power, just briefly before it kills you.” The judge declared. “Activate… THE GOLIATH!” (Play “Megaleg 1” from _Super Mario Galaxy_.)

 

_Boss fight: Great Goliath_

The giant robot slowly raised its right foot and attempted to crush them, but they easily avoided as Nebula noticed a Gravity Path going up and around the leg. She and Bender ran up the path, having to avoid Bullet Bills from the goliath’s “shiny metal ass.” This Gravity Path ended, but another one continued up the left leg, so Nebula floated them to it. A Banzai Bill was fired at them, but Nebula focused her Space Shrink and made it simply bullet-sized, letting Bender smash it with a clap.

The path led up the front of the bottom and onto the robot’s chest area, where many electrical fences appeared and formed a maze of sorts. There were also electrical bars sliding across the ground from ahead, so they had to jump every now and then. They eventually made their way to the giant handle on the goliath’s compartment. While Nebula and Vweeb shot away incoming Bullet Bills, Bender stretched his arms around the handle and began to turn and unscrew it. He succeeded as the handle fell to the ground below with a thud, and the three entered the opened hole and fell to the floor of the goliath’s interior.

They stood before a large machine full of gears and other gizmos, and also several boilers containing beer. Bender ran to the boiler on their floor and punched the glass open, letting the beer pour into his mouth. The goliath shook just then, and he fell over. “Those must be its weak spots.” Nebula deduced. “Let’s destroy them.” They went up a staircase around the side to make it to a small walkway that led to another boiler, which Bender smashed. They followed a slight walkway around the right before having to climb a metal ladder around the machine. Piping hot steam was popping out of some parts, but they were a common, easy hazard to evade.

They eventually took land on another walkway that took them to the side of the interior again, swinging up higher using G.R.A.P.P.L.U.H. targets. When they landed on a small platform, they spotted another boiler on the machine across from their point, so Nebula fired a V.I.S.S.I.L.E. over to blow it up. They swung up more targets and reached a ledge with a movable device that moved in a slot around the walls, with a handle that needed two people to hoist up and down. There were Split Pads, but Nebula and Bender could operate it their selves. Different parts on the machine opened to reveal boilers as they moved, but when Nebula stopped to shoot them, the device automatically returned to the start.

Nebula decided to split in two and have both halves operate the platform, leaving Bender to stretch and punch the boilers. The goliath trembled more as several platforms latched on chains came down, allowing them to get further up. They reached a ladder that led up the interior of the goliath’s head, the three climbing up and out of its huge mouth, where Banzai Bills were firing out of cannons. They dropped from the mouth onto the very steep slope around the head, seeing the ground several miles down below. They sidled carefully around the side and climbed another ladder that led into the goliath’s eye sockets.

What were essentially Bender’s gigantic eyes were focused on them, and they stared creepily at its pupils before entering a passage between the eyes. They were finally inside the goliath’s brain, where they viewed the stem of its antenna. Nebula blasted the V.I.S.S.I.L.E. while Bender punched it, but they seemed to do no damage against the glowing blue stem. “Is this how strong Alumitanium is?” Nebula asked.

“You’d think it was a material someone made up right off the bat.” Vweeb commented.

“Yeah, it’s pretty tough stuff.” Bender said. “You’d need somethin’ made of the same material or stronger. Like those missile guys.”

They ran to the goliath’s eye sockets and looked down at the Banzai Bills shooting from the mouth. “Those Banzai Bills are made of Alumitanium?”

“Sure they are! We robots always recognize each other’s types of metal! Don’t you notice?”

“Um… as far as I’m concerned, they’re made of metal.” Nebula said with a sheepish grin.

Bender glared with spite. “Racist.”

“Ugh, just grab and bring one up.” Bender did so and stretched down, grabbed a Banzai, and redirected it to fly at them. With that, Nebula used a Space Shrink to minimize the missile so it would fly between the goliath’s eye sockets. As it was approaching the core, Nebula quickly resized and caused an impactful explosion, setting the interior in flames. (End song.)

The robo citizens only watched as their prized creation began to fall to pieces, starting with the antenna as it fell from high above. The eyes popped out next, then off came the arms, the head and soon the legs collapsed as the goliath was swallowed in a cloud of dust. When the dust cleared, the robots all looked upset. “Well… at least we made one before the Robot Russians did.” The judge said sadly before they all left.

Team Nebula emerged from the robot’s fallen head, covered in soot. Bender sniffled. “You’re still great to me, Goliath.”

“Oh, brother.” Nebula shook her head in disbelief as she got up and approached the robot’s fallen antenna. She channeled the Space Shrink and scaled down to a perfect size to carry. “We’ll resize this for Business so he’ll have plenty to work with.” Neb said as she picked it up. Curiously, she held it next to Bender’s antenna. “Not that I’m an expert on types or color tones of metal, but this antenna sure looks a lot like yours.”

“Not surprising. I’m 40% Alumitanium.”

“YOU ARE?!” they screamed.

“Yep! It’s just a small part of what makes me Bender.”

“If you told us THAT, we could’ve just took off your antenna and made it bigger!” Nebula yelled.

“Are you crazy?? Without that, I’d only be half a robot!”

“Ugh! Well, I guess we needed to stop that thing, anyway. Let’s get back to Business so he can get it started.”

“THEN we’re flying to my mom’s so she can start talkin’!!” Vweeb yelled.

“Yeah, yeah. But let’s keep an eye on this planet; a sudden interest in taking down humans, they could try anything. Heck, BENDER’S already like that.” With that, they began their journey back to the Star.

**Great Library**

Dillon impatiently sat on a chair and swung his feet back and forth. Pollyx has been treating Vanellope for about 2 hours, and he got more worried every minute. He wasn’t sure how long it took to heal Programs… probably as long as it took to update software, now that he thought about it. But it shouldn’t take that long with Vanellope, she wasn’t supposed to be fixed all the way. He really wasn’t sure…

He looked up quickly when the upstairs door opened, seeing Pollyx skitter down. “Well, it certainly took some time, and the most of my knowledge, but-”

“So she’s finally better?!” Dillon asked excitedly, finally forming a smile as he jumped to his feet. “That’s great! So can she get back in action, or…”

“Well, she..”

“I know, she should probably rest. But boy, it sure will be nice to see her fighting like before! She had this new move she was gonna try and I’d like to see it! Heh, boy I can just picture her hopping all around, kicking all the bad guys in the face, then we go home and play racing games, heh! Um… sorry for interrupting you. Eh, you say it, first!”

“…She’s dying.”

No sooner did all the color leave Dillon’s face. Everything fell dead silent. It was unsettling.

Pollyx took Dillon up to the computer room where Vanellope was still glitching, and cords connected her to a computer. “Um, say, Dillon, explain to me _again_ how you came by her. What is her history, precisely?”

“…” And for the next several minutes, Dillon told Pollyx the story of finding Vanellope in the KND virtual network, how she used to be an MCP, and derezzed herself to stop a rogue Program, but was brought back in a lesser state by that same Program. And then the matter with downloading her, etc..

“Hmmm… I see.” Pollyx absorbed the info. “Dillon, there’s something you should know about Programs: sometimes, it’s very difficult for Programs to survive outside their intended area. Especially very OLD Programs. And from what you told me, she was created over 50 years ago, and the fact she was essentially _dead_ for about 40 years…”

“What are you saying?!”

“Well, uh, put it this way: after you’ve owned your PlayStation 1 for several years, so many newer consoles came out, you start to buy them, and that PS1 just starts losing its juice. So you put it in the closet for a while, then one day you miss it and pull it out, but it’s a struggle to hook up, and when it works, it shuts off every now and again, because it just doesn’t have the hardware anymore. Especially if they’re banged around a lot. I examined the spot where the laser grazed her, but in reality it was a minor wound, easily fixable for any other Program. Her true sickness lies with her defection, and while the bullet may have sped the process, inevitably she…”

“Are you saying I should throw her in the closet and just forget about her?!”

“N-No, no! My point is, after so many years of deresolution, and then REresolution, she’s barely functioning, I mean with that glitch of hers! You told me she couldn’t last long in that, er _adult_ website when she stepped out, and it clearly took a lot of technical skill to download her to the real world. And materializing herself in all those other computer networks took a lot of her own strength of data, which was admirable really, but it was also incredibly dangerous, and if she continued doing it, she was BOUND to conk out! She’s just… too outdated, Dillon.”

“But IRIS has been around for 2 million YEARS, and she still works perfectly! Even during 40 years of shutdown!”

“IRIS was created by the greatest scientific minds, the Terachnoid Sages. They knew how to make anything function perfectly for an extended amount of time. You know how long the juicemaker’s been around? But Vanellope, she was created by game-developers on a, er, rather primitive planet, no offense. They didn’t have the proper knowledge to make them last forever, and no matter how much work you did on Vanellope, her body is just bound to… well, fade off.”

“NO!” Tears started to drip. “There HAS to be a way to fix her! You probably didn’t even use the right equipment!!”

“Look, granted I’m not the greatest computer expert here. That would be my son, who er, is away right now. But I know enough about systems to know that Vanellope is an outdated Program, and unless she gets a major update, God willing if she can acquire one, her pixels will fade away.”

“But I don’t WANT her to have an update. I liked her just the way she was! Im…” he stuttered through his tears, “I-Imperfect! She may’ve been a Program, but she was an imperfect one! That’s what made her stand out, and that’s how she was special!”

“It is true that all beings have their imperfections, but in the case of Programs, that is something that can prove devastatingly fatal. If systems don’t get updates, they can’t function, and she’s long past due either way. I admire her for staying working and helping you for such an amount of time, but, in only a few moments, days if lucky, she’ll die, Dillon.”

“…” Dillon didn’t have any words.

“Although… if a Terachnoid of exceptional computer skill were here, namely my son, I suppose there would be a _slim_ chance… but I don’t wanna get your hopes up. It would be a miracle. …I’ll leave you two alone.” And with that, the short alien calmly walked away and shut the door.

Dillon slowly approached Vanellope’s sleeping, sparking form. He’s never seen her glitch this much. For once, it was very painful to see. Not only did the flickering lights hurt his eyes, but it was so unbearable, seeing his little sister like that. Adopted, maybe, but still his sister. The tears came faster as Dillon placed a hand on her glitching chest.

“Vanellope… sniff. Why do you have to die… for your imperfections?! These’re supposed to be what… make you special! Just ask Sector W7! They know!” More sobbing. “Why’d it have… to be this soon. You’ve only been out… for five months! Five months… you’ve been in our sector! You wanted to see the human world! See the world you never knew! Feel the warmth of the sun and look at the beautiful sunset.” _Is that… what Sheila meant?_ Dillon thought. _Is that why she ran off? She was… like that, wasn’t she. Always wanting to enjoy life to the fullest. Maybe this… is why._

“…Vanellope.” A sniffle. “I wish… you could have more time.”

As his hand still lay on her chest, he gasped to attention when it suddenly sunk into her chest. He became more heart-struck as he felt around, her body having become completely intangible. All he felt were weak static sparkles, just a sparking body of light. And he knew… it would only be a matter of time.

He couldn’t pay attention as a warping sound came from above, and down came a trio of Zoni. _“Her time has come.”_

“Huh?” Dillon looked up, surprised at the creatures’ presence.

_“ **We** can fix her.”_

“R…REALLY??”

_“She is imperfect. **We** can update her. Remove her glitch, and fix her to a pure Program.”_

“No!!” He covered her with his arms. “I don’t want her fixed like that! I want her the way she was before!”

_“She must be fixed! She is a vital Program! Her glitch is weakness. She must be perfect!”_

“No! I refuse to let anyone change who she is! Vanellope’s glitch… is a part of her. It…It helps her be excited, and fun, and it just makes her special. Plus, it shows… that she’s not better than other Programs. But she doesn’t HAVE to be! And it helps her… live in the human world. Like she’s always wanted! Her glitch is a symbol that she’s no different from any other person. It stands for who she is and I WON’T let you change it!”

 _“Mmmmm.”_ They shook their heads. _“Human compassion. Recurring nuisance.”_ And to Dillon’s surprise, the Zoni zapped Vanellope, and her body stopped glitching.

“What did you do?!” he yelled with rage.

 _“We have restored her previous condition. She may accompany you, a little longer, but her sickness remains. Enjoy your time with her, for it will not be long, until her body surrenders.”_ And with that, the Zoni left.

“Nnnnn… oooohhh…” Vanellope finally woke up, only glitching a little as she held her forehead. “Man, do I sleep a lot lately. Is this quest really that boring?…”

“Hmm.” Dillon smiled humorously. “Don’t worry, Vanel. You’re just tired.”

“Where’re the others?”

“They’re going to Aquaria, and then they might fly to Kateenia and Glomour. They wanted us to lay low…”

“Are you crazy, Dillon?? I feel better than ever!” She jumped to her feet. “Let’s see if old man Pollyx has any extra ships, I’m ready to kick more fish tushie!” Slight glitch. “Let’s go!” And she ran off, more excited than ever. Dillon smiled very happily as he chased her.

**Legola; Business’s office**

“Well, you certainly managed to pull more than your own weight.” Business chuckled after Nebula resized the giant antenna to full height.

“More than enough to work with, right?” Nebula asked.

“But how do you cut something like that?” Vweeb asked.

“That _also_ requires the right materials.” Business said with a witty face. “Like a hyperlaser that can burn materials at multi-thousand K’s!” The group turned around and jumped in surprise at a giant laser machine, which they apparently didn’t see upon entering. “I built it during a slow day. Heh. Amazing how much you get done when not much business happens. Now let’s fire this baby up!” He pressed a button, and a powerful green laser brightened the room and began melting the Alumitanium (Bender got a tingle from watching the sight).

Part of the Alumitanium melted as Business carefully gathered it with a Lego bulldozer and dumped it in a churner. “Anyway, I managed to grab most of the other materials, but there’s one crucial thing I need: a 3 ¾ Centicubit Hexagonal Washer.”

“Isn’t that the thing they use to scrub toilets?” Vweeb asked.

“Really ADVANCED toilets, yes! It’s actually used for a variety of important inventions. I heard the Irkens even used one to make their adult cannon thingy. The truth is, they’re in pretty short supply. But I’ll try to find one.”

“We’ll try to find one too, but we should get on with our quest first.” Nebula said. “We have to find the next fragment on Glomour and Kateenia.”

“Yeah, so let’s go already!” Vweeb yelled.

“Little guy knows what Ah mean!” Bender cheered. “Hi five, little meatbag!” Vweeb’s teeny hand high-fived Bender’s ginormous palm.

“Sure wish we had a female partner.” Nebula eye-rolled. “All right, let’s go. Can you still get started with the stuff you have, Business?”

“Sure I can! Never doubt Legola’s skilled craftsmen!”

“Hm-hm, great! Good luck, then!” Nebula waved as they hurried off.

**Great Clock**

MaKayla was once again on another sleepwalking adventure. She approached a random planet hologram in her pajamas and stuck her Chrono Staff into the device. A Time Portal spiraled open as she entered.

**About 10 trillion years in the future**

A golden light shone across a barren, glowing realm of stars, alighting a statue taller than many planets put together. The time-traveler found her feet soaked in an endless sea of shallow, golden water. She studied the statue of impossible size… bronze-colored. A familiar human man with a pompadour sat cross-legged in a Buddha fashion.

“Space Dandy… what did you do.” She spoke tonelessly.

“He survived after all, it seems.” MaKayla turned right, seeing a middle-aged man in a brown trenchcoat. “It’s unfortunate. A man like that shouldn’t be left alone.” He said in a high British accent.

__

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Clockwork’s former apprentice, defected  
DR. TIME-SPACE

_

__

MaKayla stared at the statue a little longer. “…”

The Doctor reached in his coat pocket and pulled out a hexagonal device that was gold-colored, had blue glowing lines around the top and bottom, and an open center. “There you are.” He planted it in MaKayla’s hand. “Do give her my compliments.” He turned and began to walk away.

She stared blankly at the Centicubit Washer for several seconds before looking up at The Doctor. “…When will it happen… do you know?”

He stopped, his back still facing her. “Oh… I’d give it about 2 months. Maybe 3. I jump around so much, I can’t keep track of every date.”

“Also… are you… the other Logia timebender?”

“Afraid not. Clockwork talked about him before… I thought he was crazy. _Still_ think he’s crazy. I’ve been all around the timeline and I haven’t caught a glimpse.”

“…”

…The Doctor turned to her. “’Course, there are some places where Time has no say.”

He opened a Time Gate and slowly stepped in. “By the way, I’d watch where you step. A lot of quantum crabs like to crawl around here.” And with that, he vanished. 

“…OWW!” Right on cue, a small, glowing blue crab snapped MaKayla’s left toe in its claw. “Can’t I walk ANYWHERE with this?!” she yelled as she kicked it away. “Ugh! …” She turned and stared at the statue for a few more seconds.

 

**The thing is, this chapter could’ve been done a LOT sooner, I was just so damn lazy! XP Oi, the downside of my new and comfy house. So yeah, terrible tragedy in Sector V: Vanellope is _dying_. Is it true? Well… maybe a couple people can confirm it. Anyway, next time we’ll fly to Aquaria and ask Ava about this war. ‘Cause we all know KWEEB’S tiny brain is too slow to know it! XD Nah! Well… later!**


	20. The War That Created Lies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Kids Next Door attempt to end the war between Glomour and Kateenia.

**Alright guys, now we can head to our next fragment world(s), which is Kateenia and Glomour! First to learn about this war crap, then we’re off!**

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Chapter 19: The War That Created Lies

_**

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**Aquaria; Ava and Kweeb’s House**

Ava rested her arms on their bedroom windowsill as she stared worriedly at the sunny skies. “Come on, quit worrying, Honey!” Kweeb told her, reading a Kateenian-sized book on their bed. “How often have our kids been on life-threatening missions, you never act like this!”

“It’s not the mission that worries me. But… our daughter-”

“Oh yeah, Makava’s on Glomour now, isn’t she? Lucky her! Too bad it couldn’t-a been a family trip, but at least we can still visit Kateenia together!”

“Mmmm.” Ava gave a slight, worried smile. “Oh?” Her sensitive ears picked up engine roars in the sky. She looked up as the _Aloha Oe_ and Shooting Star flew overhead and landed on the beach beyond the jungle. “Kweeb, someone’s here!”

Moments later, Sector V and Team Nebula trekked through the jungle and knocked on the door to Vweeb’s house. Ava answered, and was ecstatic to see her son. “Vweeb!” She picked him up and gave a light smooch.

“Hello, Miss, um, Ava.” Nebula greeted, still unsure how to pronounce their surname.

“Lypbynopbolus.” she replied simply with a grin. “Nice of you to visit! How’s the war going?”

“Actually, that’s something _you_ could tell us.” Aurora stated.

“…Oh.” Ava frowned, suddenly very nervous.

“I went to Zordoom and spoke with my mom, and _she_ said you knew about a war taking place between the Kateenians and Glomours.” Nebula explained.

“So you BETTER speak up or I’ll make you minified!” Vweeb threatened.

“Your shrink ray doesn’t work.” Nebula reminded.

“I’ll get YOU to do it!”

“Ava, what’re they talking about?” Kweeb asked, now standing on the living room table.

“Yo’ relationship was built on a LIE!” Bender exclaimed. “AHHHH ha haaaa! The tragedy of romance!” He blew a cigar.

Nebula and Vweeb glared, then focused on the adult Glomourian. “Siiiigh. Alright. Kids, grab a seat.”

“Nowhere to sit.” Aurora said.

“Then just come in.”

Ava went to sit on the couch as she released another sigh. “To start off, I guess I should say… Kweeb, I didn’t _just_ fall in love with you because of your bravery. I started going out with you because… I wanted to bring peace between our people.”

“What?”

“This year makes the hundredth year the Glomourians and Kateenians have been at war. Children on our planet are all trained to be fierce warriors at young ages, so I was introduced to the war early. My parents taught me that Glomourians’ sole policy and belief is pride, and pride only comes from not just your inner spirit, but your physical strength as well. The Kateenians have made a mockery of that pride. They said that Kateenians expressed their own internal strength and pride, but the reality is, they’re as tiny and worthless as the luscious ooze beetles we squish for our soup.”

“Blimey, your planet makes me belly swell.” Sheila mumbled.

“They were much too small for their own strength to have any real worth, and even a Glomourian newborn could crush several. But the thing is, the Glomourians didn’t form that belief out of biased observation. According to our history books, the Glomourian Queen and the Kateenian President used to squabble a lot during regular meetings at Galactic Council. The president mocked the queen for being a big brute, and while her people may rely on physical strength, they don’t have the brains that Kateenians possess, and that’s where REAL strength counts. Of course, they ultimately insulted each other’s races, and when that happens, the result is war. So the races engaged in a great clash that lasted ‘til this day.”

“And you were forced into it as well.” Vweeb recounted.

“But then… why didn’t _you_ have the same hate for Kateenians?” Nebula asked.

“I was a little girl at the time, so I…I didn’t really care much for the war. I was in the Kids Next Door at the time, so I really didn’t mind the fighting. I was fairly good. But one day, the adults flew me and a few other kids to Kateenia to practice our hunting and catching skills. The Kateenians were small, so trying to cut them with swords would make good practice. We were ordered to terrorize a small town and take any citizens we could to be eaten for supper. And… well…”

_“EVERYBODY, RUN!” Tiny Kateenians screamed as the tremendous Glomourian younglings stomped and destroyed their town like a simple children’s playset. “Try and get to the underground escape tunnels!”_

_The Glomourian kids were happily grabbing as many Kateenians in their hands as they could, like this was just a fun game, while other kids preferred to stomp the Kateenians like little bugs. “Boy, I am gonna EAT tonight!” a boy exclaimed. “I want ‘em well done, just like always! Yo Ava, hurry and grab some so we can get goin’!”_

_An 8-year-old Ava was trying her best to catch Kateenians on the tips of her swords, stabbing them rapidly at the ground and hoping to stick them through. She noticed a single Kateenian girl running out of the town, and when she saw Ava chasing, she ran like she saw death itself. But fate was not on her side, for when she tried to climb over a short rock, she tripped and hurt her knee, lying helpless on the ground._

_She gripped her knee in agonizing pain, but her fear only worsened as the quaking footsteps drew nearer, and the Glomourian child that would ensure her death stood over her. Ava held her swords ready, finally going to catch her prey on their tip. The Kateenian child was so terrified. She was going to die… she just knew it. Tears were falling, but she was too stunned to even cry._

_Ava couldn’t believe how helpless she looked. Lying there, helpless before her… it made Ava have second thoughts. There really wasn’t anything fun in this at all. They were children and people just like her. They were just smaller, that’s all. And these people aren’t mocking her race or acting prideful, they were terrified. So how did_ they _get to decide how these people should live or die? Where did the Glomourians have a say in that?_

_Ava sheathed her swords, bent down, and clutched the Kateenian in both hands. She was still frozen with fear, believing the giant will chuck her into her mouth any moment, and she’ll be swallowed whole. Ava saw a swarm of Kateenians retreating into a tiny hole in the ground, and they moved faster when Ava was running to their location. But when she arrived, the young warrior bent down, opened her hands, and lied the Kateenian on the ground. Some citizens came up and took the girl as they looked up with surprise at the giant. Ava only smiled happily, a smile that looked so trusting. The Kateenian girl smiled back before the people took her inside._

“They actually taught your children to DO that?!” Haruka asked with disgust. “That’s horrible!”

“It was… and I wanted to save more, but I was afraid how the others would’ve treated me.” Ava replied. “Even though I was so young… I wanted nothing more than to stop that war. As years passed, I kept training and getting stronger, hoping I would find the solution somehow. Then as it ended up, I was chosen to be in the Galactic Kids Next Door. An organization made up of many aliens, I thought I could meet a Kateenian boy and form a relationship. And if my race saw how happy we were, they would ultimately stop this war. But I never found any Kateenian kids for 40 years; though if I decided to look down more often, I would’ve realized I’ve been walking over him all that time. Hehe.” She blushed at Kweeb.

“So the reason you decided to go out with me… was to end our war?” Kweeb asked with hurt. “It wasn’t because of… me?”

“No man, you got _used_ like a toothpick- Ow!” Nebula smacked Bender.

“Sigh, Kweeb, I admit that I was using you at first, but I’ve abandoned that quest a long time ago. You were so fun to hang out with and you were always so spirited… and just in general, your pride makes me feel… inspired. And, over time, I really _did_ fall in love with that. I felt so bad about using you, I just wanted to forget the whole thing. That’s why… I wanted to move here instead of either of our planets. Not just because the other wouldn’t fit in. (Especially me.) And that’s why I kept you and our kids from visiting them. …I’m sorry, Kweeb.”

“…Hmmmm.” This was too much for Kweeb to take in. “…I think I need to be alone a while.” He hopped off the table and walked away.

“Maybe we shouldn’t’ve brought this up…” Nebula figured.

“No… he was bound to find out eventually.” Ava replied.

“Anyway, I’m not sure if we can stop this war ourselves, but we still need to find the Dimensional Fragments.” The leader concluded. “Any idea where those are?”

“I heard that both the planet rulers each possess a special gem, but I’ve never seen either.” Ava explained.

“Then likely, they’re the two halves of the fragment. We could recover them easier if we divide into teams.”

“Hold on a second.” Chris spoke up. “If the fragment’s divided in two halves, they might only come together if you STOP the war.”

“I always imagined it was like the Space Split, but you could be right.” Nebula agreed. “But maybe all we need is more information. Why don’t we get more info about this war from the Kids Next Door leaders?”

“Liaziana and Minksman?” Vweeb asked.

“Yes, them. Bender and I will go to Glomour and talk to Lia, and maybe meet up with Makava, while Sector V goes to Kateenia to speak with Minksman.”

“Awww, nooo.” Chris moaned. “We might run into that SHRIMP swarm again.”

“Deal with it, Uno.” Nebula ordered. “Let’s get moving.” With that, both teams ran off, leaving Ava alone on her couch. The woman only sat quietly, her head swimming in guilt.

**Great Clock**

MaKayla entered her bedroom and quietly snooped through her drawers before finding a camera. She left quietly and shut the door, and her brother opened his eyes afterward.

MaKayla returned to the planet room to prepare for another escapade. Before she could go to a planet, George King immediately ran up and tackled her to the ground. “Gotcha!”

“Ugh, get OFF me, George!” She struggled on the floor before finally getting up.

“MaKayla, WHERE are you going?! And why do you have Dad’s scepter? And, why are your EYES glowing?”

“Because I’m on a secret MISSION! Okaaay??”

“A secret mission? Whaddo you mean?”

“Siiiiiigh. Alright, the truth is, I keep getting visions from Clockwork that tell me to travel through time, and, well, do things.”

“Y- Time-travel?!” George totally wasn’t prepared for all this. It was weird how she told him so easily, too. “You mean you’re jumping through time and messing up the past?!”

MaKayla touched a finger over his mouth. “I’m making the past happen. And with Dad’s Chrono Staff, it’s the only way. …Besides, it’s totally fun!” MaKayla smiled. “We can go back to when our parents were in the KND! Wanna go?”

“Um… okay.”

“Great! Come on!” MaKayla excitedly led George up the ladder to a set of planet holograms.

“Um, shouldn’t we put on shoes first?”

“Don’t need ‘em.”

MaKayla took George to Earth’s hologram and proceeded to form the Time Portal. She grabbed his hand and jumped inside. _“Whooooaaaa!”_

**Outside Jackson House; 20 years ago**

The two took land in the backyard of Kade’s house. “What is this?” George asked.

“This was Mr. Jackson’s house, before he and Eva get married.” Kayla answered. “Look, there they are!” They approached a window and peeked in to see Eva and Kade Jackson sitting on his bed and watching the violent rendition of _Cat and the Hat_.

“I get the feeling Numbuh 363 attacked the studio and forced them to put this in!” Kade remarked.

“Or maybe him working with Wally!” Eva said.

Kade laughed, “Yeah! So, can I get you anything? It’s not often you come over to my house.”

“Well, I could go for some Kool-Aid!”

“Coming right up!” Kade left for the kitchen.

“This was when Eva found that poem about her from Kade.” MaKayla informed.

“Boy, writing was a lot easier back then.” George said. The two time-travelers heard a cough, and walked around a right corner to find the Kool-Aid Guy smoking a cigarette. “Hey, you’re the Kool-Aid Guy!”

“Huh? Oh, hi.” He said uninterestingly.

“What’re you doing here?”

“Waitin’.”

“For what?”

“Just waitin’, Dude, relax.”

“You know, cigarettes won’t be good for your fluid.” MaKayla commented.

“Whatever, kids, don’t distract me, I gotta be ‘up’.”

Back in Kade’s room, “So, you’re out of Kool-Aid?” Eva asked.

“Yeah, but I know where to get some more! Ahem: HEY, KOOL-AID!”

…

“So there’s no organs or anything, it’s just the liquid?” George asked.

“Yeah-yeah, just the liquid.” Kool-Aid said rushedly.

“I’m a little thirsty… can I have some?”

“Sigh, alright, tilt your head back and I’ll pour my liquid into your mouth.”

“Um, never mind.”

“Aw crap, did I miss it?!” Kool-Aid gasped.

Eva and Kade looked confused. “Uh-, guess not. Well, let’s get some Capri Sun!” Kade suggested before they walked off.

“OH YEEEEAH!” Kool-Aid exclaimed as he burst through the wall. To his disappointment, the kids were already gone. “Awwww.” He turned around to exit out the hole, but tripped on the broken bottom of the wall, fell, and broke into pieces as George and MaKayla stood in his puddle of liquid. “YOU KIDS DID THIS!! YOU **** dirty SNOTS WALKIN’ AROUND IN YOUR PAJAMAS!” George and MaKayla dashed away in fear. “Talkin’ about my guts?! F**kin’ me up?! F***K YOU!”

“Okay, time to go!” MaKayla said before warping them back.

“I’ll find you one day! And beat the living CRAP outta you!”

**Great Clock**

The siblings reappeared in the planet room, gasping for air. “Okay, hands down, that was NOT a good example of what I’m doing here.” MaKayla said.

“Then what ARE you doing besides messing up one-shots?”

“At this moment, Supreme Leader Nebula is on a journey to save the universe from certain doom, and the spirit of Clockwork is guiding me to help her.”

“It looks like just a bunch of crazy sleepwalking to me.”

“ _It is_ sleepwalking. But if you meditated with me more often, you’d know the most conscious mind is one that’s asleep, and when your eyes are closed, they’re open to even more things.”

“Well, who told you you had to GO on these adventures, anyway?”

“ _Clockwork_ , dummy. And I’m only telling you to show you why _you_ need to get in touch with your spiritual side, too.”

“Well, the amount you’ve managed to convince me is nonetheless amazing.” He remarked sarcastically.

“Uuuuugh. Look, I’m supposed to be on another mission right now. If you’d like to come with me, I can show you what I mean.”

“Sigh, alright. But only to stop you from screwing something up.”

“Mmmm.” With that, MaKayla led George to another planet and time-warped both of them.

 **Planet Glomour** (Play “Nefarious Space Station (outside)” from _Ratchet: A Crack In Time_.)

Nebula and Bender took land in a canyon area on Planet Glomour before climbing out and observing the planet. “So this is Glomour…” Nebula said lowly. The planet’s landscape was purple and had giant, jelly-like glowing mushrooms and a pitch-black sky. It was definitely what you would imagine a stereotypical alien planet to be like. The Glomourians’ purple clothing complimented the planet’s color while their pure white skin made a pure contrast.

“Ain’t no sunbathin’ goin’ on here.” Bender noticed.

“This should be the region where the royal family resides in their castle. And on that castle is the treehouse where Supreme Leader Liaziana resides. We need to ask what she knows about this war, and hopefully get Makava’s help on the way. Let’s go, Bender.”

 

_Stage 22: The Pride Wars_

_Mission: End the war between Glomour and Kateenia._

_Act 1: Planet Glomour_

Nebula and Bender started the journey through a slight canyon, having to bounce on jelly mushrooms to reach higher levels. Afterwards, they passed through a narrow path between a short trench, where Jelliens, floating orange jellyfish, roamed the area. They only threw energy balls that were easy to evade as Bender knocked the Jelliens against the ground and squished them. They arrived at a slightly open area with a pond, where a Teen Squid emerged from below and lashed its tentacles at them. Bender grabbed a tentacle and tried to bend it upward, but that proved fatal as the squid had no bones, and it grabbed and swung Bender around the air before slamming him on the ground.

Nebula dodged the tentacles and tossed N.I.N.S.T.A.R.s to slice them, angering the squid as it blasted ink balls at her. She formed geysers using the S.P.O.U.T. that knocked the ink blotches back and blinded the squid, and when it climbed on land to try and munch Nebula, she tossed a grenade into its mouth and knocked him out. He collapsed on the water and made a bridge for the two to cross, cutting through a slight trench where tentacles stuck out from the walls, which Nebula cut with the N.I.N.S.T.A.R..

They peeked from behind a corner to find two Drophyd troops talking with three Glomourian warriors. “And those Kateenians were like, ‘I bet those Glomourians never even HEARD of the word ‘hygiene’! The only part of ‘em they ever scrubbed is their brains, the only part they SHOULDN’T have! Their mommies probably feed them soap as a baby!’”

“Hey, my mom only did that ONCE, and only ’cause she was outta toothpaste!” a warrior yelled. “I’m gonna SQUISH the one who said that!”

“Yeah! And while you’re at it, you should… HEY, look! It’s those spies the Kateenians hired!” the Drophyd yelled, noticing Neb and Ben (just realized, the first 3 letters of their names are the other’s, backwards).

“Let’s CRUSH ’em!” a Glomourian yelled as they whipped out swords. They flipped forward and slashed at Nebula, but she jumped back and pelted them with N.I.N.S.T.A.R.s, while Bender slipped behind the Drophyds and bent their arms back to bash their helmets. “Works with _them_.” He remarked, a little aggravated about the squid. He grabbed the fish-heads out of their helmets and chucked them at two Glomourians’ faces, making them frantically try and get them off. In their distraction, Bender grabbed a shoulder on either of them, flung upward, and shot down with legs stretched to knock them out.

Bender then wrapped his arms around the remaining Glomourian to bind it while Nebula induced it with Space Lightning, and while he sizzled, Nebula jumped and kicked across his face to knock him out. With that, the duo passed through another small trench that had a chasm with several giant alien jellyfish hovering over. They used the jellies to bounce across and land on a small platform, where Nebula then had to conjure a Space Block below two close walls. They jumped to the block, and from there Wall Jumped out of the chasm. They appeared in a wide open field where they saw Drophyds roaming about a few meters away. They approached casually from behind two Drophyds as they were talking.

“I know we’re supposed to be getting them mad at the other, but how d’you know they won’t send spies over and see what we’re doing?”

“Send spies to Kateenia? Yeah, I’m sure they’ll blend in REAL well. ’Fact, even some Kateenians are afraid to come here, that’s why we’re tellin’ ‘em those bratty kids are the spies.”

“I get THAT part, but if they’re already fighting, why’re we making them more mad?”

“Because Tachyon wants to round them together, and… HEY!” He turned around and noticed Neb and Bender as they began firing. Bender stretched an arm and swiped their guns, using them to shoot back, while Nebula ran to a Drophyd Enforcer and sent lightning up its legs, giving him a shock. Bender then came over and ripped off one of its legs, making him topple over to another band of troops and crush them. Two Cyclocannons were guarding a thin passage within the wall, but Neb and Bender avoided them and cut through the passage, which the huge spherical vehicles were unable to follow.

“Sounds like Tachyon is trying to buy the interest of BOTH armies.” Nebula deduced. “We better be careful.”

They arrived at a small Glomourian village where several children were knocked out on the ground. “Look there!” Nebula gasped, seeing the fighting taking place in the middle of the street. None other than Makava was clashing with the last remaining Glomourian boy, and she defeated him after kicking him off his feet and kicking him in the face. She sheathed her swords as Nebula and Bender ran over. “Makava!”

“Oh?” She turned around. “Nebula! Hey, where’d you get the oven?”

“I ain’t no oven!” Bender shot back. But the robot dinged just then as he pulled out a turkey. “Turkey’s done.”

“We heard part of the Dimensional Fragment’s on this planet, and the other’s on Kateenia. I don’t suppose you know about the war?”

“Yeah.” Makava nodded with a frown. “All the Glomourians hate me because I’m half-Kateenian. Except Supreme Leader Liaziana; I was really just going out for a walk. Her treehouse is stationed on top Queen Zaádéadia’s castle; I can take you there.” They looked up and noticed the castle set atop a mountain in the distance, and a giant tree growing high over it.

“Then let’s go.” Nebula nodded. “I need to speak with Lia.”

They headed to a series of high ledges, in which Makava tossed both swords into the sides at different levels, then bounced up them, her friends bouncing up afterward. They reached an open field and dashed toward a mountain, in which Makava swiftly jumped around and sliced Drophyds on the way. An Enforcer guarded the path on the foot of the mountain, but Makava dashed between its legs and sliced them, toppling the Drophyd down. They began the journey up the mountain’s path as Glomourian Warriors charged down. One swung his swords down at Makava, but the girl blocked and kicked up to send him rolling down the slope.

A female warrior swung at Bender, but he grabbed her swords and bent them like boomerangs before tossing them backward. “Ha ha ha ha! WOWOO!” They flew right back and stuck him from behind, the warrior kicking him down and calling her swords back. Bender stretched up and grabbed her legs, hauling himself up to make her trip. The remaining warrior defended as Nebula shot her S.H.O.O.T.E.R., but Makava jumped from behind and kicked the warrior down the path.

The trio bounced up some jelly shrooms to reach high ledges and soon arrived at a narrow chasm. Nebula floated them to a Gravity Path on the right wall, but it ended before they could reach the next ledge. Makava simply tossed her swords into the parallel wall, so they jumped to and bounced off them to make it to the ledge. The path continued above a wall that was too high to climb or jump, but a mushroom sat atop the wall that Bender reached up and pulled down. They all held on as the mushroom flung them up, and they proceeded further up the mountain.

They reached a towering wall that had a tiny cracked gap on the bottom. “Anyone got any mirrors?” Neb asked.

“Just send me in, I’ll look for something.” Makava said. Nebula used Space Shrink to minimize her and allowed Makava to enter the crevice. It was an easy tunnel to navigate, but she had to cut past some centipedes crawling through. Eventually, she made it to the path up top, finding herself under a Drophyd Trooper. There was yellow light leaking from within its armor, so she crawled inside and began cutting up its wires. When the armor fell apart, a Drill Wisp was freed, looking at its tiny savior. “She’s down there.” Makava squeaked.

The Yellow Wisp flew down and entered Nebula’s body, letting the girl become a “DRILL!” as she and Bender burrowed through the ground and went straight up. When they made it to the path, Nebula resized Makava, and it was just a short distance to the castle. They jumped up a few platforms before reaching the moat stationed around the castle. “Why did they build it so high?” Nebula asked.

“’Cause the highest wins, duh.” Makava stated. “Both the citizens and the KND. Anyway, we can get into the treehouse from here, watch this.” Makava approached a blank sign post before the moat and cut a mysterious symbol, which could be ‘KND’ translated to their language. A creaking sound was heard, like the drawbridge on the castle was about to fall, but it was instead a drawbridge up on the treehouse, toppling down and “YOW!” crushing Bender. Nebula and Makava proceeded to walk up, and Bender dizzily joined after recovering. (End song.)

**Somewhere in space**

As John Fett and Aurorra Bane were continuing their search for Nebula, they received a call from Tachyon. _“Star Wolf, this is Percival Tachyon. It seems the brats have separated to Glomour and Kateenia in search of the fragments.”_

“Ahhh, my homeland.” Aurorra smiled. “So you want us to bust them or somethin’?”

_“I am working on a plan to annihilate them as well as the two armies. Fly to St. Percy’s Asteroid and lie in wait until the time comes. I will tell you more once you get there.”_

“Roger that. We’re on our way.” John said as the duo flew off.

**Planet Kateenia**

While Nebula was adventuring on Glomour, Sector V landed on Planet Kateenia, whose landscape and sky were very yellow. “’Guess their yellow skin isn’t just hereditary.” Aurora commented.

“It’s probably yellow so they can camouflage from predators.” Haruka figured. “But that also makes them tougher to spot, too.”

“So what did Nebula want us to do, again?” Chris asked. “Find the Kateenian KND leader and ask him about the war?”

“Yeah, and she said his treehouse was located over the president’s Yellow House.” Aurora followed.

“Probably a lot of yellow houses here.” Haylee said.

“You think a few Kateenians would let me take them home for studying?” Artie asked.

“They’re probably _against_ doing that.” Harry said.

“Boy, my first time actually exploring Kateenia!” Vweeb perked. “Too bad Makava couldn’t be here!”

“Don’t forget we’re here on urgent business.” Aurora reminded. “Let’s find the Kateenian leader; and be careful not to step on anyone.” (Play “Sweet Mountain Act 3” from _Sonic Colors_.)

_Act 2: Planet Kateenia_

The team passed down a road within a short gorge, seeing a squad of Killbots rolling from ahead. Aurora and Chris rolled forward and evaded their fire as they shot flames at the first ones, while Mason and Haruka launched Gas Bombs overhead to blow up ones in the back. “Man, our budget is a load of bull-” a Killbot tried to say.

“SOMEONE’S ABOUT TO SAY ‘BUL TRANSMARK’!” Another Killbot proceeded to blast all the others, before Sheila punched a Light Sphere at his chest gun and blew him up.

“Gee, I wonder why.” Chris remarked.

They arrived at a large chasm with several tall pillars leading across, and far scattered apart. “’Guess me and Chris will have to fly everyone.” Aurora figured. But when they jumped to the first platform, it began to topple toward the next one.

“Or we can just do this.” Vweeb said as everyone jumped to the next one when it was close enough. This platform fell to the next, but came up a bit too short, only hitting the side of the pillar, but they were able to climb a rugged wall to get up top. This one fell toward the next, but it was much too far. Thankfully, a group of Drophyds were hovering within the chasm, so the kids used them as bounce pads to reach the rugged side that led onto the pillar. This one fell toward the ledge where the next path began, so they jumped over and continued.

They reached a small, open area (likely a large field from a Kateenian’s view), where two nerdy Drophyds were speaking to a swarm of tiny Kateenian troops. “Yeah-yeah! And those Glomourians said, ‘Those Kateenians barely survive off the crumbs they’re forced to eat! They probably scavenge whatever they can from the dung of animals!’”

“So what?!?” a Kateenian yelled. “I was hungry and no one let me have their lunch!”

“Yeah well, you should’ve seen what I saw ‘em doing to your lake a few weeks ago!” the other Drophyd began. “They poured in a bottle of hotsauce, and they… HEY, LOOK! It’s those spies the Glomourians sent over!” He pointed at Sector V.

“Let’s get ‘eeeeem!!” The tiny crowd erupted with squeaks as they charged forward.

_Awwwww! They’re like teeny baby hamsters! Kirie squealed._

“You blokes think you can scare us?” asked Sheila cockily as she walked forward and raised her foot. “Ah’ll step on you like a million-” When she brought her foot down, a single Kateenian stopped it, shot upward while knocking her leg up, and shot into her face like a bullet, sliding her backward.

“She TOLD you not to step on them.” Harry told her. Chris threw fire at the little soldiers, but they were swift at avoiding and attacking him from multiple directions, until Haruka swallowed them all in Sleeping Gas and knocked them (and Chris) out. The Drophyds readied to shoot the group, but Kirie appeared from behind them, smiling as she tapped the right one’s shoulder, then going behind the left one when the previous turned. She kicked the left Drophyd into him, then launched bladed flowers from her fans to cut their armor.

Aurora shook Chris around a little and smacked him before he woke up. “Nogivemedetention, I’m awake!” he said quickly.

“That explains how they lasted in the war for so long.” Aurora deduced. “We better be careful.”

“Yeah, they freakin’ overpowered.” Harry said.

They continued along a downward slope that snaked left, and Kateenians dashed at them like cheetahs, leaving little trails of dust. Chris threw a forceful kick at one and knocked him back, but even he felt quite an impact after doing so, even though the creature was so tiny. A duo of Kateenians leapt at Sheila, but she blocked them with her right fist and their equal forces pushed on each other. “Uuh!” She was finally pushed back, but Harry and Haylee grabbed them and threw them forcefully against the wall. Mason and Haruka unleashed poison gas around the ground to stun all the other Kateenians, and afterwards the kids kept running.

“You need to take it easy, Sheila.” Haruka told her. “Your left fist is still recovering, so it’ll be harder to fight with just one.”

“Please, I once broke a Raritanium door with one hand behind my back!” she retorted.

“And THAT’S the hand that got spared.”

After knocking out the last few Kateenians, the group reached the end of the path and found a small Kateenian village. (Small in both ways. :P) The little yellow citizens were casually roaming around. _Awwwww!_ Kirie was always so happy to see them. _There’re so manyyyyy! Can I keep oooone?_

But since the giant kids really stood out from the citizens, everyone immediately took notice. “Look! It’s the giant humans the Drophyds mentioned!”

“AAAAIIIIEEEE!” They skittered back to their tiny houses. _…Was I too loud?_ Kirie asked.

“Leave it to someone who fits in.” Vweeb said as he jumped off Aurora’s shoulder and approached some fleeing Kateenian kids. “Yo guys, take it easy! These lunks are with me!”

“Lunks.” Aurora repeated as they all stared.

“Yeah, we’ll believe THAT.” a Kateenian boy snapped. “Lose the ears and maybe we’ll talk, albino boy.” They continued retreating.

“…Well, that was unpleasant.” Vweeb said.

“Well, what’d you expect? You’re as white as a ghost!” a familiar voice squeaked.

“Oh, no…” Chris looked in agony, seeing the band of tiny bandits that caused him grief.

“No Kateenian has ears as big as yours! The giants make such loud noises, that’s why we ditched ear openings!” another bandit informed.

“One race has no ears for small, sensitive sizes, the other has big ears for hearing the sneaky little guys.” Haruka noticed. “Convenient!”

“Look, I don’t suppose YOU know where the Yellow House is?” Chris glared.

“Sure we do! We’re part of the KND!”

“We’ll take you there, too! But only if Chris becomes our servant!”

“He’ll do it!” Aurora smiled.

“WHAT?!”

“Yaaaay! We have a giant servant!” they all cheered.

“Now LET’S go!” They hurried off.

They scampered up a wide Kateenian-size stairway, which felt like just a rugged, narrow path to Sector V. The stairs led them to a wider road that the bandits dashed across on their own, but Kateenian troops stood atop the parallel walls and blasted ray guns at the giants. Chris and Aurora blasted fire at the turrets, making the Kateenians fall and charge at them. Sheila kicked the Kateenians away when they jumped at them, and Kirie flipped overhead to launch flower petals down that stuck them to the ground by their clothes.

They reached the end of the path and dashed down a steep hill overlooking a vast valley. Drophyds were coming from the other side, followed by several clouds of dust along the ground. Those were swarms of Kateenians, all taking leaps at the kids as Aurora spun in a fire spiral and burned them away. The Drophyds hovered on jetshoes as they blasted lasers, but Kirie flipped up and sliced one’s jetshoes while Haylee jumped up, grabbed another’s leg, and unhooked his shoes with her wrench.

When the Drophyds fell, they crushed some Kateenians, but Sheila jumped up to punch through their armor with her right fist, shattering the armor. Chris used rocket shoes to fly above the other Drophyds and come down before blasting his rockets in their faces. The Kateenians scampered around Mason and Haruka, who sprayed gas from their hands like bug spray and swallowed the Kateenians in toxic clouds. The kids hurried across the field as Sheila tossed Light Spheres at any incoming Kateenians, and they soon arrived on the outskirts of the vast capital city, which at their sizes seemed like a smaller scale replica of a larger city.

“I don’t think we’ll be cutting through without being spotted.” Chris deduced.

“Then let’s go around, there’s the president’s house.” Aurora said as she noticed a giant (only slightly taller than them) treehouse growing out of a dollhouse-sized Yellow House. They walked around and approached the treehouse cautiously from the side. Chris peeped into one of the tiny windows and spotted a Kateenian with sunglasses, who he recalled as the KND leader. He tapped the side of the treehouse, and Supreme Leader Minksman turned around and saw a big brown eye outside his window. “YAAAAAH!”

At that instant, the tiny band of bandits jumped up, pulled Chris down, and pinned him. “Don’t worry, Sir! We got ‘im!”

“You JERKS.” Chris gritted.

“Hey, hold it, hold it.” Minksman said as he stepped onto a walkway. (End song.) “I know these guys, they’re from Earth’s KND. Did Nebula send you?”

“Yep, she did.” Chris replied. “Mind confirming that with these twerps?”

“Don’t mind them, they’re just my Bandit Squad.” Minksman said. “I use them for spying and recovery missions.”

“Well, they certainly have the strength for it.” Aurora noted. “You guys are really strong for your sizes.”

“’Course we are. Kateenian soldiers are trained to practice Kateeny Style Combat. Our philosophy that size doesn’t matter isn’t just from moral thinking, but the fact is that all Kateenians are stronger than they’re giving their selves credit for. Our martial arts form is an upgrade to Tiny Style: while that’s about simple evasion and trickery, Kateeny Style involves direct combat through a Kateenian’s superior strength. I don’t really use it, but my dad does.”

“Is your dad the president?” Haru asked.

“Yep: President Linkynidynkinwashi Iyptonocuo. Call him Linkyn.”

 _Ha ha ha ha! You all have some funny names!_ Kirie signed.

“Speakin’ of which, if you wanna talk, we should probably do it in private. Let’s go outta town so we don’t scare anyone.” With that, Minksman hopped onto Aurora’s shoulder as the group left town, with the Bandit Squad carrying the captive Chris.

**Glomourian KND H.Q.**

Nebula, Bender, and Makava entered the treehouse and found Supreme Leader Liaziana talking with some officers. “Numbuh 12,681!” Nebula exclaimed as they hurried to the leader.

She looked over. “Hello, Numbuh Eternal.” Lia dismissed her officers before approaching her superior. “Sorry that the party got cancelled.”

“Well… I kinda expected.” Nebula shrugged. “We’re actually here about the war between your people and the Kateenians. Is that why you and Minksman never got along?”

“Yes, it’s true. I read about the drawn-out war, too. The truth is, my parents are the king and queen of Glomour right now, and we’re descended from the queen that used to squabble with Kateenia’s president, who coincidentally is Minksman’s ancestor. But we inherit more than our ancestors’ physical and personal strengths, it seems. Minksman said I was a heartless monster that only liked to serve his people on a platter. He said our quest for pride and strength was only formed from the anger and aggression we endure because we can never match their superior intelligence. Then, well, I told him he was only saying this because he thought himself weak and had no faith in his own moral strength. Then one fight led to another, and, well, we suddenly became part of the war, too.”

“So far, it’s been sounding like the Kateenians are responsible for all this fighting.” Nebula deduced.

“Yeah…” Makava agreed with a frown.

“Lia, do your parents have any particular _treasures_ that they guard?”

“My mom owns this strange purple gem that, almost looks like it’s half of another.”

Nebula and Bender exchanged glances and nodded. “Actually, Lia, the other half probably belongs to the Kateenian President, and it’s our mission to reunite them. The only way we can do that, we think, is to bring the two cultures together. As part of a… spiritual thing. Sector V is actually over at Kateenia and they’re trying to speak with Minksman.”

“Are you saying you want me and Minksman to make up?” she asked with dislike.

“Exactly. If you’re the princess and prince of your planets respectively, if your parents saw that you made friends, then they might see differently. Do you wanna schedule a meeting with Minksman?”

“Siiiigh.” One could tell Lia didn’t wanna do this, but for her Supreme Leader… “We actually have a little barren asteroid where our two planets’ rulers meet for, um, negotiations. We could meet up there and… you know.”

“Just outta curiosity, what happens when negotiations don’t go well?” Bender asked.

“We engage in all-out war.”

“AH’M BRINGIN’ THE POPCORN!!” He ran off.

“Anyway, after you both make friends, you can convince your parents to meet up and make peace for both armies.” Nebula informed. “Then they can unite the two halves of the fragment.”

“Sigh, alright, I’ll make friends with Minksman. But it’s only fair that _he_ apologizes first, for insulting me!”

“We’ll try and reason with him.” Nebula nodded. “Let’s fly to the asteroid and I’ll call Sector V to see if they can bring Minksman there.”

**Outside Kateenian Capital**

“So yeah, me and Lia’ve been fighting a lot, too, but SHE started it!” Minksman began to explain, pacing on the ground while the gigantic members of Sector V either sat cross-legged or stood patiently. “I’m only freely expressing my Kateenian pride like always, but you know what she says?! She calls me a sniveling little ant that only looks up and whines to all the bigger people we’re so helplessly inferior to! She says that our puny race is worthless and will amount to nothing, and it’s a shocker that they even allow us in the council, for something other than the purpose of being on the lunch menu! So as a counterattack, I shot back with one of my many witty remarks.” He stated proudly. “But if they weren’t proven to be big brutes before, well SHE certainly has! Overreacting like the brainless monster she is and TRYING to squish me! ’Course, super-speed comes with super smallness. Siiiigh.”

Minksman looked at Vweeb, standing a few feet away, and said, “Listen Vweeb, I won’t judge you for being half-Glomourian, as long as you stand at equal ground with us, you’ve got the true Kateenian spirit.”

“Well, as much as I like having Kateenian pride, I think it’s time you made amends.” Vweeb stated. “We need your two races to make peace with each other if we’re going to save the universe from Tachyon. The first step of THAT would be for you and Lia to become friends.”

“Yeah!” Aurora nodded in agreement. “Then you can show both your parents and they might wanna call this whole war off!”

“Siiiigh. All right.” Minksman moaned, as uninterested about this as his rival. “But I am NOT apologizing FIRST! SHE’S the one that started it, the giant LUNK.”

“We’ll do what we can, but can’t promise it.” Haruka stated.

“Halright. There’s an asteroid we go to for meetings and stuff. How ’bout I meet you there after you get Lia?”

“Nebula should’ve met up with her by now.” Vweeb figured. “We’ll call ‘em and tell ‘em to meet us there.”

“Terrrrrific. Later.” The tiny leader hopped back to his treehouse to board his tiny ship.

 _This planet is SOOOO cuuuute!_ Kirie sign-squealed.

“Yeah, when you get past all the overpowered crap.” Chris said, rubbing his sore chin.

“Let’s get going and call Nebula.” Aurora said as she walked off first. “And watch where you step on the way back.”

“These negotiations better go well, or we’ll be caught in the middle of overpowered nerds and bullies.” Harry mentioned.

“Ha ha! That is what it’s like, isn’t it!” Artie laughed.

**Pollyx’s ship; somewhere in space**

Pollyx entrusted his ship to Dillon and Vanellope, who roamed the emptiness of space in search of their friends. “You SURE this is the way to Kateenia?” the candy girl asked.

“It’s not like I understand space coordinates.”

“Somebody’s loooo _oooost_.” Vanellope sang.

“You dunno where to go, either.” Dillon frumped. “He said it would be just past the asteroid belt, which we just-” But their ship was suddenly caught under a humongous shadow, and they looked up and gaped.

“Are you having a shadow-attack?” Vanel asked.

“That isn’t me, Vanel. What is…” Hovering over them appeared to be a humongous space station, shaped like a heart. It had the inscription _Death Heart_ , but its front was oddly shaped like Mom’s face.

**Planet Flora**

Jerome and Neftin landed in a forest region on Flora (which is ALL forest) as the Nether began to lead the Zathurian through. “All these forests look the same.” Jerome said. “How could you be sure?”

“I marked it on a map, check it every now and then. But uh… could you put the gun down?” Indeed, Jerome was aiming a ray gun at Neftin as he followed from behind.

“Just to be safe.”

Neftin led him to a simple, ordinary boulder within the shrubs and lifted it up, pulling a Zathurian Artifact out from a hole. “I found this several weeks ago; but I just couldn’t show it to Vendra. Not now. But now that you’re here, as a Zathurian, you can view its contents.”

“Whoa whoa whoa. How do I know you aren’t just using me to find the fragment?”

“If I wanted _that_ , I could’ve gotten your mom to view it, but I told you I’m trying to save Vendra!”

“Well, my mom had her powers taken.”

“Your sister had her-; WILL YOU JUST look at it?!” he yelled, slamming the pyramid in Jerome’s hand.

“Alright, alright.” Jerome aimed the scanner at his eye so the artifact would reveal its contents.

**St. Percy’s Asteroid of Peace**

The Shooting Star and Lia’s ship landed on one side of a barren, open field on a gigantic asteroid, encased in an Oxygen Bubble so they could breathe. At the same time, the _Aloha Oe_ landed on the distant other side, and while they couldn’t see it well, so did Minksman’s toy-size ship. Nebula, Makava, Bender, and Lia calmly approached the center, as did Sector V and Minksman. Both groups stopped a few meters from the center. Makava smiled and waved happily at her brother, who waved back.

Lia and Minksman approached each other and sat cross-legged while Nebula sat at Lia’s left, across from Aurora at Minksman’s left. For several minutes, there was silent tension between the two. It made the others slightly nervous. “…Well then… how nice that both of us could be here at equal grounds!” Nebula finally said.

“As equal as they get.” Lia replied.

“As equal as you WANT them to be.” Minksman remarked.

“Right…” Nebula furrowed her eyes. “Let’s get the peacemaking underway. First off… Minksman, apologize to Lia for calling her a heartless monster.”

“Lia, apologize to Minksman for calling him a sniveling ant!” Aurora told her with a positive smile.

“…” At this, all four kids exchanged confused glances with one-another. “ExCUSE me/Say what?!” Both leaders said at once, standing up.

“ _I_ only insulted him because HE did it first!” Lia yelled. “So HE should apologize!”

“No! I said all that because YOU said I wouldn’t amount to anything!” Minksman shot back. “YOU apologize!”

“I’ll apologize with my FOOT, you ant!”

“Not if I enter your brain and cut out the desire to DO so, assuming you have one!”

“GUYS!!” Nebula grabbed them both. “Look… how ’bout we… SKIP the apology, and go to Phase 2 of the reconciling?”

“…Fine.” They both said.

They were seated on the ground again as Lia poured a bottle of blue liquid into a glass, and then drank part of it. “Here.” She placed the glass by Minksman.

“What is this?”

“Glomourian tradition is that two friends drink from the same glass of luscious Squid Juice from the Great Squid in remembrance of their friendship.”

 _“What is with their planet and squids?”_ Haruka whispered.

“I’m not drinking what your saliva just touched!” Minks yelled.

“Well, how do _your_ people make friendships?”

“We talk about videogames and exchange different ideas for technologies.”

“Sounds very exciting.”

“Just drink the juice.” Nebula told him.

“Meh.” Minksman decided to climb onto the glass’s edge and carefully climb down to get a sip. However, the Kateenian leader slipped, and he was flailing his arms in the thick liquid. “AAAAHH! Help! Heeelp! I can’t swim!” Lia reached in, gripped the Kateenian by his antenna, and pulled him out to set him on the ground. “Keh, keh, keh! That’s the worst thing I ever tasted!! No wonder you exhausted all your brain cells!”

“At least our brains are bigger than YOUR squishy organs!!” she yelled as she got up.

“There’s a little thing called PROPORTION, you mindless dope!! In which case, I believe YOUR brain is a little underSIZED!!”

“I SHOULD’VE SQUASHED YOU THEN AND THERE and left you a smooshed puddle of goop on the council floor!!”

“I should’ve crawled in your ear and cut your brain off its STEM, seeing as you don’t USE it much!”

“I have the brains to fry you on a skillet at the highest possible temperature!!”

“Sizzle us all you want, ‘cause that’s what makes you so FAT!”

“BUG!!” Lia had psychotic eyes.

“DEMON!!” Minks was furious.

“DAAAAAAH!” Both leaders were immediately zapped by Nebula’s Space Lightning. They were black with soot as they looked startlingly at Nebula, who panted with frustration.

“My patience, is growing thin! As your Supreme Leader, I order you two to just GET along, and GET OVER IT!! Or perhaps we could do the classic ‘Size-exchange’ exercise.” She held her hands in a framing, Space Shrink fashion.

“I think we will make great friends, Minksman!” Lia grinned as she shook the tiny leader’s hand.

“My thoughts exactly, Lia!” He grinned, too.

“I thought Minksman would WANT to be bigger than Lia.” Haylee said.

“He don’t wanna be a giant lunk.” Vweeb remarked.

“Terrific.” Nebula eye-rolled. “So how about you go back to your parents and try and tell them the somewhat-truthful news so they can make peace?”

“How do you know the whole friendship thing will even _work_?” Lia questioned.

“Well, tell ‘em other things, too!” Vweeb suggested. “Like… you’re stressing too much over this war, both races are special in their own way, might be better for everyone to just leave the other alone!”

“…Eh.” Lia shrugged, figuring why not as she walked back to her ship, as did Minksman. The operatives watched as both leaders took off and back to their planets.

“So what now?” Aurora asked.

“’Guess just wait here ‘til both armies decide to show up.” Nebula shrugged. “But I know from experience when I say expect the worst…”

**The Death Heart**

“Are you about finished yet?” Mom asked her less competent sons as they were fixing a machine.

“It’s almost ready, Mother.” Walt responded. “It’ll need 10 minutes to charge when activated, so it may be wise to start ahead of time.”

“IT’LL START WHEN I WANT IT TO STAAART!” Mom smacked him.

“Actually, we must first make sure Star Wolf finishes their side of the plan.” Tachyon noted. “If the negotiations proceeded normally, they may be long gone before we have a chance to fire. We will begin the war _first_ , and in their distraction, they will never suspect doomsday is on their way! Plus, our Drophyds and Star Wolf will need some time to get away before it happens. But if all goes as planned, we will finally have Nebula disposed of ONCE and for all!”

**Ava and Kweeb’s House**

The itty-bitty man of the house entered the kitchen and approached the fridge for a drink. Not the normal fridge, that was WAY too big to open. He approached a teeny-tiny fridge that matched his height and drank a glass of juice, which was likely formed from a single small droplet. The floor quaked, and he looked behind as his titanic wife walked in, grabbing a half-eaten squidburger from the normal-sized fridge and munching away. “Ahhh, these things are always the best frozen.” She said through chewing.

“Only you would have the teeth to munch them.”

“Hm?” She turned and looked down before swallowing a tentacle. “Oh, hi. Didn’t see you there.”

“Well, that’s why you have ears, leave the seeing to me.”

“Hm hm hm.” She smiled slightly. “Kweeb… I’m sorry for not telling you sooner.”

“Actually, when I think about it, it makes sense now. Why else do you like making me give you footrubs every night?”

“Kweeb, even _you_ like that.”

“Yeah, but that’s why you dubbed yourself ‘ _Queen_ of the House’, isn’t it? You’re adapting the Glomourian tradition, that’s why me and Vweeb are yours and Makava’s playthings!”

“Leave the kids out of this! And the reason I gave myself that title was because _I_ do most of the work around here, seeing as I’m bigger. We’ve already established I can kick your butt, too.”

“So you admit it!”

“The _difference_ is, Kweeb, is that I still see you as an equal among everyone else. Besides, that’s generally how all wives are with their husbands, wanting to be the alpha female. But they don’t go to _war_ with them because they know their wives love them, and they love them, too. The same would be if Fanny’s husband was as small as you were, but, you know he would be too afraid. In fact, why don’t you go to war with Kami’s family? She kicks you around a lot more than I do, and that’s reflected in her daughter and our son.”

“That’s totally different, me and Kami just have a rivalry, we never mean anything bad by it.”

“Well, in the grand scheme, maybe that’s what the Kateenians and Glomours have: a rivalry that just… got way too out of hand.”

“I-…” After absorbing this, Kweeb thought it could be true. “…Yeah…”

“Siiigh.” Ava sat on the floor and crossed her legs. “And now our kids are about to be mixed up in it. We have to go and help them.”

“You mean stop the war? How’re we gonna do that?”

“A single Glomourian’s and Kateenian’s strength is fearsome.” Ava smirked. “But pair two together, you have the strength to bring down two opposing armies.”

“Says the 100-foot tall sword-happy brute.” Kweeb remarked.

“Maybe. But who was your queen, again?” she asked as she picked her little husband up.

“Hahaha! You are, Queen Ava!” he blushed.

“That’s right. But you’ll always be my _itty-bitty_ king!” And with that, Kweeb was trapped in the powerful suction that was Ava’s giant, smooching lips.

Kweeb shook his head after he pulled free. “I always think I won’t survive it this time!”

“Hm hm hm, my lips get stronger with experience! Now let’s go help our kids!” She tossed him on her shoulder and ran off.

**St. Percy’s Asteroid**

It wasn’t long before the gigantic, flat barren asteroid was packed to the brim with armies on both sides. The Glomourians on the left and Kateenians on the right. ’Course, the Kateenians looked like a field of yellow grass. Heheh. And Team Nebula and Sector V stood in the very middle. Liaziana and Minksiminnian were there and stood by their parents: Queen Zaádéadia Arkhasemia of Glomour and President Linkynidynkinwashi Iyptonocuo of Kateenia.

“No doubt, Aurra Sing has the easiest pronounceable name of any Glomourian.” Chris stated.

“Actually, her full name is-” Makava began.

“DON’T say it.”

Zaádéa was fairly thin and had very pointy ears, many straps around her purple gown, two long swords in sheathes on her back, a long puffy ponytail tied in golden braids, and a gold crown-like headband around her forehead. Linkyn was a slightly chubby Kateenian with a red jumpsuit-tux and black tie, and had two pointed antennas instead of one.

As both rulers slowly approached the center, John Fett and Aurorra Bane watched from behind a rock. “Those two rulers have the gems, don’t they?” Aurorra asked.

“Yeh.”

“So when do we take them?”

“’Soon as Tachyon blasts ‘em to next century. But first we gotta get them fighting. Quick, put on the disguises.” He pulled out a small device and scanned Aurorra’s body, changing her into a white-skinned Glomourian. He then scanned himself and became a tiny little Kateenian. “Let’s go.” They went separate ways and snuck into their respective army.

As the two leaders stopped a few feet away from each other, Nebula and co. looked around. “No sign of any Drophyds.” she whispered.

“They’re hiding somewhere.” Aurora knew.

Zaádéa and Linkyn sat before each other as Bender approached and stood in the middle. “Ah-he-he-hem: ladies and gentlemen of the jury:”

“AH-HEM.” The group coughed.

“Sorry, force of habit. Ahem, dearly beloved, we are gathered here today-”

 _“SSSSS!”_ they hissed.

“Whoop, wrong ceremony. Let’s see, ummmm…” Bender checked a notepad. “Right, right, the peace treaty! Okay, ummm, so just do whatever it is you do to make friends and we’ll be on our way!”

Queen Zaádéa pulled out a long bottle and poured some dark-pink liquid into a very tiny glass, bigger than a Kateenian, but still a reasonable height for them to drink. Afterwards, she pulled out a familiar glowing purple gem that was the Dimensional Fragment, divided in half, while Linkyn pulled out the other half that was his size. The queen took a small sip from that glass and set it down. “To seal our peace, we will drink from the same glass of juice from the Pacifist Squid.”

“We shall also exchange email addresses to talk about various swords and technologies.” The president said. “You DO have email, right?”

“Yes.” Her eyes narrowed uninterestingly. “And when it’s all done, we shall unite our two gems to forever symbolize our bond.”

“So all our fair children can frolic together in peace.”

Lia and Minksman only glared at each other across the field. Zaádéa began to write her email address while Linkyn approached the small glass to have a drink. Nebula and the operatives exchanged smiles at their success.

But in the blink of an eye, a long light-nun-chuck whipped over from the Glomourians’ side and slammed a group of Kateenians, blowing them away, and the operatives gaped in horror. Linkyn whipped out two ray guns, which extracted multiple ray guns, and declared, “You tricked us!”

“I did not!” But that’s when gunshots from the Kateenians’ side fired and dealt painful strikes against Glomourians’ knees. “You little SNEAK!” Zaádéa yelled as she whipped out her dual swords.

“Do your ears work, I didn’t give any orders!”

“Well, your puny EYES should’ve seen my mouth move, I didn’t give any orders, either!”

“I’m surprised you NEED orders to be so destructive!”

“Guys, calm down!” Nebula yelled. But once again, the situation worsened when a group of Kateenian and Glomour ships hovered overhead and blasted the other army. Inside those ships, the Drophyd Troopers cackled maniacally.

“It’s clear that this whole treaty was a bad idea from the start.” The queen decided.

“My thoughts exactly. There’s only one thing to do now.”

“Yo boy.” Bender quickly backed away.

“KATEENIAN/GLOMOURIANS:” both began. _“ATTAAAAACK!”_

And faster than they knew, the heroes were caught in the middle of two clashing armies, of overpowered little people, and bloodthirsty warriors. In this confusion, a giant sword swung down at Minksman, who jumped away and saw it was Lia. The Kateenian leader growled and extracted his spider legs from his backpack, which latched onto Lia’s face and jabbed her with syringes.

Sector V and Makava ducked away from the crowd with Makava clutching her brother in both hands. When they peeked over a short slope, they saw a Glomourian and Kateenian running from the action, who revealed to be John Fett and Aurorra Bane. “HEY! Those’re bounty hunters!” Chris exclaimed.

“Those jerks!” Makava yelled.

“We’ll get ‘em. You guys try and control the armies.” With that, Chris and Makava ran after them, with the latter tossing her brother to Aurora.

“Hmph. Well, looks like we got company.” Aurorra Bane smirked as she saw the two follow.

“We got time ’fore Tachyon fires that cannon. Let’s have a little fun.”

John Fett and Aurorra stopped and about-faced as they whipped out their weapons and faced Chris Uno and Makava respectively.

Queen Zaádéa revealed four pinwheel-like points on the tips of both of her swords, beginning to swing at Linkyn as he jumped around and shot multiple rays from his two guns. “Grrrrr!” Enraged at this, Nebula induced both of them with a blast of lightning. _“STOP!!”_

Both rulers were black with soot, exchanging surprised glances before shaking the soot off. “Wait! That’s the girl you hired to lure us here, isn’t it?!” The queen accused.

“The only one sending people to do your dirty work is YOU.”

“Well, if she’s not aligned with you, you won’t mind if I cut her to pieces.”

“Hmph. Allow me to save you that honor. I’ll blast her down to size.”

“Boy, these guys’re just lookin’ for an excuse to fight.” Bender said.

“Grrrrr!” Nebula grumbled. “BOTH YOUR RACES ARE A BUNCH OF IDIOTS!!” (Play “The Tumbling” from _Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep_.)

 

_Boss fight: Queen Zaádéadia and President Linkynidynkinwashi_

Nebula began dodging quickly as Queen Zaádéa slashed her swords at her, the Zathurian whipping out her T.O.P.M.A.N. and launching the spinning devices, but Zaádéa easily cut them. President Linkyn faced Bender as the robot smirked and toppled down with his compartment open, catching the Kateenian inside. “Wow- Ooh- Ow!” Bender yelped as he was flung into the air, and the president began kicking and knocking him around before sending him flying. “Wah-ha-ha- _haaaaa!”_

Afterwards, the president dropped down and jumped at Nebula, sending her several feet away with a kick. That’s when Artie and Haylee dove in from the side and grabbed the tiny ruler in their hands. “We gotcha now!” declared Artie. But the president grabbed their hands in his and swung them around the air like thin little sticks, smashing them into each other before hurling them away. Zaádéa zipped behind Nebula and attempted to slash her, but Aurora jumped above the queen and kicked a barrage of fireballs down, which Zaádéa blocked before jumping back. The queen slashed her swords and sent two spiraling airwaves, which matched her swords’ pinwheels, but Nebula and Aurora flipped and dodged the slashes.

“YAAAAH!” Chris cried as he and Makava charged at John and Aurorra (two Auroras, don’t get the spelling mixed up), and as the two operatives threw a fire fist and swords, the hunters jumped away. Chris ran at John as the fox hunter (hunter who is a fox) raised his dual lightsabers and swung them at Chris, who blocked the red and blue lasers with his fire fists. Chris jumped, kicked John’s arms to the side, and dealt a series of fire punches against his chest. Aurorra whipped her light-nun-chucks at Makava as the half-Glomourian charged and dodged the strikes. Aurorra lashed again, but the nun-chucks whipped around her right sword as Makava jumped and dealt a forceful kick across Aurorra’s chin, pushing the hunter back as her nun-chuck retracted.

Chris and Makava jumped beside each other as John got by Aurorra. Chris and Makava jumped up, turned sideways, and planted their feet against the other’s as they began to spin rapidly. John and Aurorra did the same, with John and Makava aimed at each other. Both dual-swordsmen launched, holding their swords out at either side as they flew like propellers. The tips of their heads drilled at each other before Makava went underneath and flew at Aurorra, and John flew over and went for Chris. Aurorra aimed her right foot at Makava and extracted a blade from her heel to block the swordschild, while Chris jumped up high and threw flames at John.

Bender stretched his arms around to knock away Glomourian soldiers while a swarm of Kateenians were charging at him from behind. As Sheila punched away some troops, she looked and saw this. “Oi, Benduh, about-face!”

“Huh- WHAI-HEEE!” His eyes widened at the bunch. Sheila ran at the robot and dealt a forceful punch with her right fist to his back, causing an airbag to swell up and bounce the little guys away when they jumped.

Kirie Beatles bounced across some Glomourians’ heads as she stuck syringes in them from her fans. When she landed, she saw Harry furiously stomping some Kateenians. _HARRYYYY!_ He looked over, hearing her sign-shout (’kay, how is that possible again?). _Don’t squish the Kateenians!!_

“Kir, relax, they freakin’ overpowered, stomping will just knock ’em out. It’s easier.” With that, he continued.

 _…Oh._ And as a group of Kateenians were gathering to attack her, Kirie began furiously squishing them.

Nebula tossed a series of grenades at Zaádéa to block her view with smoke, then shot a S.P.O.U.T. over to propel her upward. However, Linkyn jumped through the smoke and thrusted Nebula in the stomach, then sent her flying toward Zaádéa in the air, who kicked Nebula straight back down to Linkyn and crushed him. She quickly jumped back up as Linkyn whipped out his ray guns and sent a barrage of lasers that Neb swiftly dodged.

After Zaádéa landed, Bender ran from behind and clutched her arms, leaping overhead, launching forward with his arms stretched, and flung back at Zaádéa to blast her backward. However, she secretly stuck him on her left sword’s propeller and got back up, using Bender as a shield as Kateenians tried to jump at her. She then hurled Bender at Nebula and knocked her down, and when she ran at the leader, Aurora got in her way and kicked her left leg up to block Zaádéa’s right arm, the Uno’s foot on fire as she smirked. Linkyn tried to blast the firebender, but she tossed a fireball to make him jump back, then dodged away before Zaádéa swung her sword.

**Death Heart**

As the fighting continued, the Death Heart was facing the asteroid from a safe distance, and Tachyon and Mom were watching. “Just FIVE more minutes until our cannon is fully charged! Then these hundred years of fighting will have finally caught up with them!” Tachyon said.

“But if the asteroid goes boom, won’t we lose the fragments?” Mom’s son, Larry asked.

“THIS cannon isn’t supposed to DESTROY ’EM, you fool!” Mom yelled.

“Correction:” began Tachyon. “I am going to succeed in what the Almighty Tallest have failed at! Using the Timeshift Stones mined from Secco’s wastelands, I have recreated the Agifyer Cannon! I shall age both armies 100 years and END this war in the name of Tachyon! And of course the brats get the raw end of the deal too, MWAH HAHAHA!”

Unbeknownst to them, Dillon and Vanellope landed and infiltrated the Death Heart, dashing through a hall as lines of Drophyd troops readied to fire, but Vanellope zipped through them as a glitch beam in a ricochet fashion, and when she stopped at the end, their robot suits malfunctioned and broke. She glitched back beside Dillon as both ran down the hall. “Man! I never felt so good!” Vanellope exclaimed. “That Pollyx must be a really great Program doctor!”

“Ha ha! Yeah!” Dillon laughed half-nervously. “But since you just got outta bed, maybe take it slow!”

“Yeah, yeah, doctors doctors, quit bein’ a slowpoke and let’s move!” And with that, she zipped ahead. Dillon could only laugh at her spirit and try to chase. As Vanellope glitched around and kicked more Drophyds, she said to the camera, “Though I’m really disappointed the racing stages I was supposed to have got cut out. Oh well, computer hacking’s good enough.” She zipped off.

**On the battleground**

Liaziana launched airwaves across the ground from her sword, but Minksman jumped around on his mech-spider legs and skittered toward her, trying to jab her face with more syringes. She swung her sword and sent him in the air, but he hovered using a helipack and blasted mini lasers at her. Lia twirled her long-sword in the air a little before launching an airwave cyclone that caught Minksman in the center and pelted him with slashes. He dropped to the ground, and Lia attempted to step on him, but his pack extracted a sharp, thin point to pierce her sandal and stab her foot. Lia gripped it in pain as Minksman clutched his spider legs on her face and started scratching.

Chris and Makava stood back-to-back and turned slowly as their respective opponents walked around them, smirking. “These guys are a lot tougher without the Wolfen.” Chris panted.

“Well, of course. Direct combat is a lot more exciting.”

“Any plans to step up your game?”

“What species do you think I am? It’s times like these I’ve been carrying this around.” She held up a bottle of grease and poured it on her swords. “LIGHT me.” she said as she held her swords at their waists. Chris reached behind and touched the blades with burning hands, setting the dual swords aflame. “Now let’s dance!” She ran at Aurorra and started clashing with her with flaming blades, Aurorra’s nun-chucks unable to wrap and catch them.

Chris kept defending from John’s lightsaber strikes, flipping over the fox and kicking the back of his head with a flaming foot. John held his sabers in an “X” fashion as Chris jumped and pressed his foot against them, making the sabers press on John’s face as Chris activated a rocket-boot and dangerously burned his face. As Aurorra whipped at Makava from afar, the sword girl kicked some small rocks in the air and batted them at Aurorra with her swords, setting them aflame as they pelted the hunter’s face and left scorch marks. As she took the hits, she was unprepared when Makava leapt overhead and launched flaming waves down and burned her.

“Huh!” Aurorra huffed as she recovered. “Tough-ass little brat! You’re a lot like your mother, from what _my_ mom said.”

“You’re not too bad yourself.” Makava smirked. “A true Glomourian warrior, even though you’re only half.”

“Yeah, we got a lot in common. But I think our parents had unresolved business. Let’s finish it FOR them.” With that, she opened one side of each of her nun-chuck pairs and stuck them together, creating a light-whip that was 20 feet long.

“You’re pretty tough yourself, Uno.” John said to Chris. “Shoulda expected that from the son of the man who saved the universe. But it’s time I got serious. This may sound familiar: you know what blue and red is mixed together, right?” he asked as he held up his two sabers. He flew high in the air using jetpacks and yelled, “PURPLE _RAAAAIN!”_ He stuck his sabers together and created a sparkling storm of purple rain, and Chris began rolling and dodging to avoid the sparkles.

Queen Zaádéa ran at Nebula with both swords, but the Zathurian zapped lightning across the swords and dealt a painful shock to the queen. Bender ran from behind Nebula, leaped over, and planted both feet together as he swung them down and bashed the back of Zaádéa’s head, sending her forward as Nebula slid and kicked up at her knees. She fell at Linkyn, who dodged aside, but wasn’t prepared as Aurora’s foot came down. The Uno girl smirked as she added pressure, but the little guy was harder to stomp than it seemed. Linkyn easily kept her foot up before grabbing it in both hands and swinging the giant girl around, tossing her at Nebula. He then bounced below Bender and jumped straight up at his crotch, sending him flying several meters away.

As Bender tried to recover, a squad of Kateenian troops dashed forward and combined their force to slice Bender’s legs perfectly. “Heeeey! I was gonna go CLUBBING in those FEET!” Bender grabbed his severed legs and began crawling around, trying to crush the shrimps.

Nebula threw a grenade at Zaádéa, but the queen back-flipped and avoided. Quicker than Neb could think, the queen unhooked the many straps around her gown and launched them to bind Nebula, the Zathurian unable to move. Zaádéa pulled Nebula over, who shut her eyes as the queen was ready to strike, and just then, a deafening cling of swords echoed across the air. Nebula opened her eyes in surprise, finding the straps cut to pieces and none other than Ava holding the queen back with her own swords.

“This fight seems a little uneven.” Ava smirked. “Go help your friends. This is a fight between mothers.”

Nebula nodded with a smirk and ran off. While Aurora was lying on her front, Linkyn leapt high overhead and was about to come down with a forceful landing, but Kweeb suddenly jumped up and kicked him away. The Kateenian husband landed on Aurora’s back as she turned her head to see him. “Uneven is right, you’re WAY too outsized! Leave it to me!” Aurora smiled and nodded before running off.

Ava and Zaádéa’s swords continued pushing against the other, and their amazing power seemed equal. “Come on, bitch, I can stand here all day.” Ava snapped.

“Hmph. I smell Kateenian all over you. I’ll lose my legs before I let a treacherous runaway defeat me.”

“Glad you could be so REASONING!” Ava took a swing at her legs, but the queen jumped off her sword and shot high in the air, launching spiraling airwaves down that Ava blocked.

“You know, I never voted for you.” Kweeb smirked to the Kateenian President.

“I’m honestly glad. You’re a disgrace to our race, letting yourself succumb to the will of a monstrous temptress. Does she pleasure you?”

“A lot more than YOUR slobby excuse for a wife!”

“Now that Sir is crossing the line. I shall have you martialed!” And fast as lightning, the president began zipping around and attacking Kweeb from all sides, but he managed to grab the president’s arms and hold him back.

Aurorra Bane was a great distance away from Makava as she lashed her 20-feet whip. The whip launched a barrage of sparkles that Makava blocked, but this allowed Aurorra to grab the half-Kateenian’s leg and hurl her straight up in the air. Aurorra smirked and launched the whip again, but Makava dodged and swiftly began grinding the long light-whip with a smirk. The whip shot out more sparkles, but Makava dodged with ease as she aimed a foot down and kicked Aurorra square in the face.

John Fett landed on the ground as he raised his two sabers and stuck them together, forming a purple saber that was three times as long. “’kay, that is wrong in all ways.” Chris said with disgust. John ran forward and slashed the saber down at him, but the Uno boy lit his hands with flames again as he clapped the sword between them. The laser was singing his hands greatly, but Chris merely absorbed the heat and added more. John was struggling to cut the Uno in two, and before he knew it, the fox hunter was bursting with flames. “WAAAAAAHH!”

Both John and Aurorra stood side-by-side, panting heavily and glaring at Chris Uno and Makava. “This is takin’ too long. Let’s finish this now!” John declared. He jumped and grabbed Aurorra with his legs as he flew up with his jetpack and both formed their extended weapons. Just as well, Makava hopped on Chris’s back as the boy used rocket shoes to fly them up high. Chris set fire to both Makava’s swords as he took one, the two holding them out as the flames stretched longer. The two operatives flew at the two hunters, ready to land their blow, and in the end, the flaming swords sliced through the hunters’ waists. John and Aurorra fell totally unconscious, slamming the ground with a thud. Chris and Makava exchanged grins and high-fives.

“Huff, huff, you guys okay?” Nebula yelled as she and Vweeb came over.

“Just fine.” Makava confirmed.

“Great! Now stand still!” Makava only nodded as Nebula held her hands in a frame and centered on the swordsgirl. 

**Death Heart**

“It’s almost time!” Tachyon announced. “Say your prayers!”

But their doors were blown open when Dillon and Vanellope burst in. “WHAT THE F&^*?!” exclaimed Mom.

“It’s Tachyon!” Dillon exclaimed. “What’s going on?!”

“You’re too late, you meddling kids!” the emperor proclaimed. “The Agifyer Cannon will soon be charged, and you’ll be having to care for your friends in a retirement home!”

“Unfortunately, they won’t feel as young as _I_ am.” Mom smirked.

“Oh yeah?! Well, how’s THIS for young!” With that, Vanellope jumped and launched at the Corporate President with her foot aimed, but the child suddenly stopped a few feet away from Mom as she glitched.

“Vanellope!” Dillon yelled with worry.

“Ohh? So you’re a Program!” Mom observed. Dillon growled and ran to attack the woman, but she jumped back several feet, and Vanellope became mobile again. Mom raised her right arm as a bunch of the Drophyds’ armor came off and formed on her arm, and she aimed before blasting a laser at the duo, who dodged. Tachyon threw an electric sphere from his staff at Vanellope, but the girl glitched up to him and dealt rapid, light-fast kicks against his face. When she stopped, Tachyon’s face was broken in several holes, but the matter formed right back.

Dillon ran at Mom as he dodged her blasts, but her cannon broke into jetshoes on her feet as she flew around. She then attracted two laser guns to her hands as she shot at Dillon. “She’s manipulating those parts like a magnet! Is she a metahuman or…?” he asked.

“Dillon, we’ve gotta stop that cannon!” Vanellope told him.

“Right! Vanel, try and hack into the mainframe!”

“Oh no you don’t!”

“Ahh!” Vanel yelped when Tachyon knocked her back with an electric sphere.

“Hey!” Dillon ran to attack the emperor, but Mom came down and wrapped her legs around his neck.

“Sorry kid, but this’ll be the last lapdance you ever endure-” Before the woman could twist him, another energy blast came and hit her in the head, knocking her down.

As Dillon recovered, he gasped at seeing his savior. “What are _you_ doing here?”

It was none other than MaKayla King. “On urgent duty.”

“Heh heh ha ha! DOODY!” Vanellope laughed.

“D’oooh! FIIIRRRRRE!!” screamed Tachyon. The mouth of the Death Heart opened as the Adultifyer Cannon extracted and readied to fire.

**Down below**

Lia and Minksman were still in their climactic fight, and when the Glomourian princess launched an airwave cyclone, Minksman dodged and jumped at her, but she swatted him away. She kept her guard raised, expecting him to strike again, but suddenly felt a series of quick, tiny strikes dealt across her neck. Lia swung aimlessly, desperate to hit her assailant, but was shocked to see a teeny-tiny Makava on her nose. As Minksman was trying to recover, a giant boot suddenly pinned him down, and he looked up in surprise at an enormous Vweeb.

The bitesize swordsgirl gave a smirk as she leaped off Lia’s nose and dealt quick, tiny strikes against her ankles. Lia furiously stomped her feet, but the tiny half-Glomourian was too quick, zipping back and forth and slicing the straps off Lia’s sandals. Once she was done, Makava forcefully stabbed her blades through Lia’s giant feet, then dashed to her Achilles’ heels and cut perfectly through. The titanic princess toppled backward, shaking the ground at Makava’s height, as the tiny sword girl leaped to Lia’s face and sliced an “M” between her eyes.

“Er, hey, let me go, grrrr!” Minksman demanded, struggling to get out from under Vweeb’s boot.

The giant half-Kateenian kept his smirk as he added pressure and crushed Minks’s backpack. “Sorry. But talk to me when you’re the king.”

**Death Heart**

The cannon was only seconds away from firing. _“FIRRRRRRE!”_ Tachyon ordered once again. But to his utter disappointment, the cannon malfunctioned and suddenly began exploding to pieces. “WHAT?!”

Vanellope emerged from the control terminals with a victorious smirk. “Don’t worry! It’s ALL under control! NNNOT!”

“NOOO! Just seconds away from getting my precious fragments!”

“Let’s get out of here, you bastard!” Mom demanded as they hurried off.

“We should leave, too.” MaKayla said, the two nodding as they ran down the hall.

On the field below, Ava and Zaádéa were sweating greatly as they panted and faced each other. “This battle… is over!” the queen declared.

“Yes…” Ava gasped. “I’m going… to cut you in half!”

“Huff… we’ll see.”

And with both swords raised: “HaaaaaAAA!” the two warriors charged, focused solely on the other’s hip. They drew closer and closer, and in a blinding flash, they both swung with all their might. They stood back-to-back, motionless for a few seconds, until Zaádéa’s swords shattered to pieces, and blood shot out from cut parts on her body. The queen fell defeated as Ava twirled and sheathed. “Heh! So overweight!” Ava looked back at her with a cocky smirk.

Kweeb and Linkyn were tired with fighting, too, so they decided to settle it. “Classic Kateenian Death Draw?” Kweeb asked.

“My thoughts exactly.”

Kweeb whipped out his single ray gun while Linkyn unveiled his arsenal of guns. Their eyes interlocked for several moments, growing solely focused. _“Draw…”_

In half a second, the president blasted his arsenal of rays, while Kweeb only fired a single shot. After several seconds of silence, the president’s weapons exploded, and he gripped his chest as he fell defeated. Kweeb twirled his ray gun and blew the smoke from it. “Toast.”

The fighting still continued for both armies, and the operatives regrouped as Nebula changed Makava and Vweeb back to normal. “Hey guys!” They turned in surprise to see Dillon, Vanellope, and-

“MAKAYLA?!” Chris exclaimed.

“Long time no see!” the timebender smiled.

“Why’re you in your pajamas?” Aurora asked.

“This is my outfit for the story. Why they couldn’t make my normal clothes a second skin, I’m not sure. Anyway… it’s time to stop this.”

MaKayla walked to the center of the open field, totally ignored by either fighting army. “Hey! Your attention please! Could everyone just… Hey! I need all of you to…” Her quiet shouts reached the ears of no one. She shook with rage as she jabbed her staff into the ground. _“STOOOOOOOOP!”_ (End song.)

The land dimmed to a shade of blue as MaKayla’s eyes glowed a bright blue, her hair and gown blowing as a powerful ray of blue light launched to the heavens. Both armies stopped immediately, gaping with sheer amazement. The fallen queen and president and their kids woke up to witness this, and Sector V had no words to describe her incredible surge of power.

Finally, the blue light vanished, and MaKayla stood normally again as the land returned to its previous color. “Now that I have everybody’s attention… it’s time we brought this war to a close.”

“Who are you?!” a Glomourian male demanded.

“That’s not important. Nor is the amount of work I went through to reach this point. All that matters is you’re all fighting for pointless, premature reasons.”

“Says a little tyke who’s walkin’ around in her jammies!” another male yelled.

MaKayla’s eyes furrowed. “This war originated 100 years ago when the Kateenian President insulted the Glomourian Queen, was it not? But I’m sorry to say your history books aren’t entirely accurate. Take a look at this hologram recording of the infamous squabble that led to this war.” She held up a small device that projected a large holographic screen, showing the Glomourian and Kateenian rulers at a table in the council’s cafeteria.

 _“You expect me to believe you can finish a whole Cornwolfos in 2 minutes?”_ the Queen questioned.

 _“Sure I can!”_ declared the president proudly. _“When I was a kid, I was the Cornwolfos King!”_

_“Kateenia-sized or NORMAL?”_

_“Normal, doy! My stomach’s bigger than it looks.”_

_“Pssh, you don’t look like you can swallow a CRUMB!”_

_“What does THAT mean?”_

_“I’m saying you just don’t have the stomach as we Glomourians do.”_ She poked his belly. _“No offense, I’m just saying. I mean, you’d just explode if you tried to swallow that much meat.”_

_“I’m made of way more meat than YOU are! I could gobble you whole!”_

_“Did you forget who you’re talking to? My people are all part of a line of fierce, bloodthirsty warriors who’ve slayed many under our might. I’ll turn you into unsatisfactory meat.”_ She smirked cockily.

 _“Yeah, yeah, you’re all a bunch of big brutes, but you don’t have the BRAINS we Kateenians possess!”_ snapped the president. _“On a scale of 1-1000, your IQ is ZILCH!”_

_“I’d love to hear you say that as a squished blotch under my SANDAL.”_

_“I’ll crawl into your brain and yell it LOUD and clear!”_

_“I thought we didn’t HAVE brains.”_

_“You DON’T. That was a compliment.”_

_“Miss, did you have the prime rib?”_ a waiter asked MaKayla.

 _“Yeah-yeah, shhh.”_ She hushed him quickly.

Liaziana and Minksman exchanged weirded glances. “I knew it!!” a Glomourian yelled. “Those little rats started the fight!”

“Are you kidding, it was CLEARLY you ugly apes!” a Kateenian retorted. Both sides engaged in arguing, until-

“HEEEEY!” They looked at MaKayla again. “Look… it’s true that both rulers squabbled a lot, but they weren’t trying to insult the other’s race. The reason they squabbled a lot… was because they’re lifelong friends and rivals!”

“HUUUUH?” both sides screamed.

“Here are pictures from their childhood depicting fun times together.” MaKayla said as she flipped several screenshots of the young queen and president eating food together and engaging in little contests. “Their parents attended meetings at Galactic Council, so that’s when they interacted. And they kept doing so after they inherited their respective thrones.”

“What kind of government does Kateenia _have_ , anyway?” Aurora asked Vweeb.

“They have a constitutional democracy.”

“Tsk-tsk.” Vanellope winked at this.

“They eventually found feelings for each other,” MaKayla continued, “and they arranged a private wedding on Naboo. Council rules forbidded members from marrying one-another, so they never knew. One day, the queen got pregnant with twin kids, and their secret would be revealed once they were born. So the queen entrusted the throne to her trusted sister, and the president gave his office to his brother. The couple eloped to a resort on Aquaria and had a private doctor help deliver their kids. One was a Glomourian girl and the other was a tiny Kateenian boy. And they held the same skin colors as their races. So both rulers had the children brought to their respective relatives to raise. And in time, those children became rulers, and the Arkhasemia and Iyptonocuo lines continued to this day.”

There were murmurs of confusion and amazement among the crowd. But after absorbing this, Lia’s and Minksman’s eyes widened. “Wait! So me and him…” Lia looked at Minks.

“Her and I…” Minks looked at Lia.

“ARE COUSINS?!?”

“Yep! Enjoy your reunions!” MaKayla beamed.

The leaders’ mouths were wide open in shock. “…I’m not speaking to you.” Lia turned away with folded arms and a grumpy face.

“Ditto.”

“But how did the war get started if they were just friends?” a Kateenian asked.

“Rumors.” MaKayla answered simply. “Some people witnessed their playful-rival conversations and contests, but believed those harmless ‘insults’ were really meant to offend their race. The rumors spread across their planets and they became part of the history books. Eventually the ultimate feud started.”

“But… does that mean-” a Glomourian started.

“You’ve all been fighting for nothing!” MaKayla said with a bright smile.

“…” The armies fell dead silent.

 _DOIIIIING._ The Glomourians remembered all the children they sent to kill Kateenians.

 _DOIIIIING._ The Kateenians remembered polluting the Glomourians’ water.

 _DOIIIIING._ Sector V and Team Nebula was just totally speechless.

“…” The thousands of soldiers dropped in an anime falling style.

“I hereby call this war a draw!” Vanellope exclaimed, sticking a white flag in the center of the field.

“But how in the world did that girl know all of this?” The president asked.

“I just do a LOOOOT of research!” MaKayla replied simply.

“Well, if that’s all over, I guess we have unfinished business.” Aurora smiled.

The Glomourian Queen and Kateenian President approached each other as the former spoke first. “In light of all that’s happened, and not wanting to get wailed on by those crazy freaks again… I’m sorry.” She held a hand out.

“Apology accepted!” he smiled and took it. “Cous!”

“Hoo, what a relief!” Nebula sighed.

With that, Queen Zaádéadia and President Linkynidynkinwashi pulled out their Dimensional Fragment pieces, with Linkyn using a grow ray to make his piece normal size again. The two halves united and became one again. Afterwards, the queen picked it up and presented it to Nebula. “My daughter said you needed this. And you… did sort of help us unite our two races.”

Nebula smiled and took the purple gem. “Thank you.”

“I guess me and Ava will be planning that trip to our homeworlds.” Kweeb said, nudging his wife’s neck.

“We’ll make it the first thing after Tachyon gets defeated.”

“Good, give us some time!” Makava replied. “That’ll give us something to look forward to after kicking his butt!”

“Then it’s time we be on our way.” Nebula nodded. “And YOU have some explaining to do.” She told MaKayla. “Now play nice, you all!” The heroes returned to their ships and left the two shock-fallen armies, with Lia and Minksman still grumpily facing away from each other.

“…You will never be my equal.” Lia stated.

“Way ahead of you.” Minks said. “…Cornwolfos-eating contest?”

Lia sent him flying with a mighty kick and ran off. “BEATCHA THERE!!”

John Fett and Aurorra Bane recovered and watched the reconciling from behind a slope. “Well-p, that ends that plan.” Aurorra said.

“Yep. Sucks, huh?”

“’Guess we better report back to the leader. But listen man, we gonna fight together, you need a better fusion weapon.”

“Yeah, yeah…”

 

**And so ends the longest freaking chapter in this story! Wow, I did not imagine it would be this epic. Fun fact, I was going to make this whole Glomour-Kateenia War it’s own story, which would be a prequel to this and come after _CLOWN_ , but it was much better as its own world here. :P Sorry the stages weren’t good, but it’s really the war that matters. Anyway, next time we will learn what the artifact Jerome found said and we’ll search for the 6th and final fragment. You may be surprised where it is. ;) Later.**


	21. The Zathurians’ Greatest Invention

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The final Dimensional Fragment is collected.

**Hey-hey-hey, welcome back to Story Land, we are almost done with the Into the Nexus Arc! Just one more fragment to find, then fight the final boss (Tachyon), and life can begin anew!**

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Chapter 20: The Zathurians’ Greatest Invention

_**

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**_Aloha Oe_ **

The team began to sail away from St. Percy’s Asteroid as Nebula was quick to interrogate MaKayla. “You were a member of Sector IC, weren’t you?” she asked. “But what are you doing here?”

“Also, why’re you in your PJs?” Chris asked.

“Because I like the look, all right?!” she shouted. “Anyway, George and I had to go on a trip with our parents after the graduation ceremony, and they took us to something called the Great Clock, which is-”

“Yeah-yeah-yeah, we heard about it already.” Nebula stopped her.

“I know you did. Then every night after we went to sleep, Clockwork woke me up to go on little time-traveling adventures to aid your quest, which is why I have my father’s staff.”

It suddenly became clear to Nebula. “Aid my quest? Wait, so… all those weird things that’ve been happening-”

“I was the one who opened that compartment in Sector V’s cell.” MaKayla confirmed. “I was the one who fixed Sector W7’s R.O.C.K.E.T.-T.R.A.I.N. and left them that note to have Mocha help you. I retrieved the Piece of Resistance from Lord Business and hid it on your ship, I stole the Escape Fruit from Caesar and gave it to Dandy, and I am _also_ responsible for the lack of troops in Axiom City.” She smirked.

“You mean where we got that spray?” Chris asked. “What did you do there?”

“That’s a secret.” She smiled innocently. (She actually snuck the planet’s coordinates in the book that Sector DR found.) “And if you’re wondering why I’m here now, it’s because I’m on another mission. To give you this.” She gave Nebula the Centicubit Washer.

“Hey! It’s a 3 and ¾ Hexagonal Centicu-” Vweeb tried to say.

“Yeah yeah yeah TONGUE twister.” Nebula stopped. “But this is the last part Business needed to fix the Dimensionator! Except for the last fragment.”

“Feel free to repay me however.” Kayla smiled.

“I’ll make Vweeb give you a footrub later.”

“Wow, that’d be great! You have no idea where I’ve been walking.”

“Heeey!” Vweeb protested.

“But it’s great that Pollyx was able to fix Vanellope!” Aurora beamed. “And Dillon was so worried!”

“I don’t even remember being broken!” Vanel glitched.

Dillon chuckled lightly, but held his head down in regret. “You’ll have to tell them eventually.” He looked up, seeing MaKayla staring at him. Her serious, bright blue eyes seemed to peer into his soul.

“…” Dillon wanted to change the topic, “So uh, you said _Clockwork_ sent you?”

“Well, his vision, anyway. You know how spirits are. Or dead spirits. Anyway, it’s time we start looking for the last fragment.”

“But if you knew all this would happen, you must know where the fragment is!” Nebula reasoned.

“Yeah, but where’s the fun in telling you everything!” MaKayla smiled brightly. “Find it yourself! Or wait for a clue to call.”

“Incoming transmission from Jerome!” Haylee reported.

“There you go.” Kayla said.

Nebula and co. walked over as Jerome’s image appeared onscreen. _“Hello, Sister. Hope I’m not interrupting something.”_ He smiled.

“No, you’re just in time.” Neb replied. Kayla grinned and winked at this. “What’s up?”

 _“I found a Zathurian Artifact, with some help.”_ He turned the camera right, revealing-

_“Hello.”_

“NEFTIN PROG?!” The aliens screamed.

_“Yeah. Hey, uh, sorry about, you know, wailing on you back on Coruscant.”_

_“We’ve reached a mutual understanding.”_ Jerome confirmed. _“And he showed me a Zathurian Artifact he’s hidden.”_

“But how do you know he’s not-” Neb began.

 _“PLEASE do not start this again, Sis. Anyway, I can’t exactly read it, so I’ll let you have a go. Here.”_ The alien words appeared onscreen.

“‘You, who is descended from the Clan of Space, you probably know how many of what thing you have to seek. The final Dimensional Fragment waits on the long-barren planet of Mechanos. But know it will only be yours, once the evolutionary cycle is complete. Good luck, and beware the ever-impending darkness, you little hero.’ Wait… it couldn’t mean…”

“It was on THAT planet? ALL ALONG??” Vweeb asked with surprise.

“That’s the only logical planet I can think of.” Nebula replied. “With the evolutionary cycle… I guess that’s where we’re going.”

“Mind filling us in?” Aurora asked.

“Oh, it’s not important. Listen, the rest of you fly to Legola and give the washer to Lord Business. We’ll get the last fragment and meet you there to give him the others. Get ready, guys. After the Dimensionator’s complete, it’ll be time to send away Tachyon.”

“Mmm.” They nodded seriously.

Nebula, Bender, and Vweeb took off in the Shooting Star and flew to the once-barren planet for the 5th and final time.

**Amazonia; Kuja Colosseum**

Mocha was dressed in an Amazon uniform as she furiously punched away and swung her feet at charging Amazon warriors. Many of the tall women were lying unconscious, some lying in craters on the ground thanks to Mocha’s might. Five more warriors charged, but Mocha charged at the center one and sent her away with a head-butt, then grabbed two’s spears when they tried to stab and spun around to knock away other warriors with them. The final warrior was very chubby, but she charged at Mocha with full force. Mocha did the same, and both forces were equal as they shoved against the other, but the taller Amazon adult was slowly overpowering. Mocha stood firmly on her feet and pushed with her greatest strength, and in 5 more seconds, Sector W7 watched as the chubby Amazon went smashing against the outer ring.

“YYYYEEEEAAH!” Mocha raised her arms in victory. “I am the strongest child in the WORLLLLLD!”

“YAAAAH! WAY TO GO, MOCHAAA!” Chimney screamed.

“Gyom-gyoooom!” Gonbe was purely amazed.

They walked out of the arena and toward the palace as Mocha flexed her arms. “Boy, I feel a million times stronger!” She smiled ecstatically. “Next I’m gonna learn Haki, then I can kick ANYONE’S butt!”

“Just how strong are you exactly?” Apis grinned.

“REALLY strong!” Mocha beamed.

“Nnnn! That’s not good enough! We need an example!” Chimney stated.

“Gyom, gyom!”

“Okay… let’s try: …” When they arrived at the palace, Mocha quickly approached the fixed R.O.C.K.E.T.-T.R.A.I.N.. She bent down, stuck her arms under the middle car, and tried to lift. “HURR! Hurrrr… Hnnnnn!” Her arms trembled as she gritted her teeth tight, and huge globs of sweat could clearly be seen dropping down the giant’s skin.

“Be careful, Mocha!” Apis said with worry. “Don’t sprain yourself!”

“Heeeeeeeehhhh!” Mocha refused to give up, and mustered an even greater amount of strength. Her friends had no words as the part of the train rose from its perch, and Mocha held it above her head.

“YAAAAAAAAHHHH!” They screamed and cheered as loud as they could (except April).

“Nnnnn!” Her arms shook even more as she grunted. _“Told you I could do it!!”_ With that, she slammed it back on the ground, beginning to catch her breath.

“Boy, Mocha. You can take out the whole KND army with that much strength.” Apis said with admiration. “You might be better off joining the Amazonians. I mean, your size and everything…”

“Thanks, but my place is on Earth!” she stated. “I may be a giant monster, but I’m a human just like the rest of you! …Well, almost the rest of you.”

“Yaaaah! You BETTER stay with us, Mochan!” Chimney yelled. “As Leader of Sector W7, I refuse to let you be with people you fit in with!” (“Gyom, gyom!”)

“Don’t worry, Chimney!” she grinned. “I’ll always stay where I stand out! But I have to admit, I really like this outfit! It’s a little loose, but it’s something I can get used to!”

“So bring it with you!” Aisa told her. “You look like a real warrior! Besides, I always support the barefoot look.” She winked.

“I know you do.” Mocha chuckled. “Boy, all that fighting made me hungry. Let’s go eat!”

“Yeah! Food! FOOD!” Chimney cheered. (“Gyom-gyooom!”)

“You guys go ahead.” April told them. “I wanna look for stuff to draw.”

“O-kay.” Chimney said as the others ran ahead. “But don’t expect me to save you dessert!” She followed after them.

April decided to walk into a shrub-filled area to look for anything of interest. “Ohhh! Cod-snot it.” She stopped and faced ahead, hearing a strange voice. She stepped through more shrubs, seeing a Terachnoid kid with very long, spider-like legs fixing a broken ship. “If only I could phone in for help, but so many of those monsters are roaming around, I can’t re-acquire the parts to fix my computer.”

“Hello there.”

“GYAEEEE, eek-GAAAAH!” The boy screamed and panicked at April’s emotionless voice. “Oh, a human! I thought you were Amazonian. Or perhaps a smaller variety of the sort.”

“Who are you?”

“Eh, I’m Sollyx, Numbuh IQ 500 of the Terachnos KND. A few weeks ago I flew over this planet to do some studying, but my ship malfunctioned and I ended up crashing. The parts scattered all across the surface, but I’ve been too afraid to go out with all the Amazons roaming around. It’s miraculous I’ve been able to hide for this long, but I need to get back to my planet quickly! My father and my friends must be worried sick.”

“My friends and I have a ship. We could take you back.”

“EEK, ee-geh, REALLY?” He looked very excited. “That’d be GRACIOUS of you! My Gmail friends probably left me SO many messages, I’m very late in answering them! But can we get past the Amazonians?”

“We’ll just tell them you’re our slave. And you can give us backrubs.”

“Ehh, I’d rather not, my arms don’t have the potency.”

“Okay. We’ll just let you die.”

“EEK!, eck-no! Okay I’ll try my best, I promise.”

“I was only joking.”

“…Oh… I really can’t tell with that face.”

“…” April’s emotionless, doll-like face remained unchanged. “Let’s go, then.” She began the walk back as Sollyx skittered after on his spider legs.

**Approaching Mechanos’ atmosphere**

“So wait, if the planet started from nothing and went to dinosaurs, then cavemen, and then modern society, then…?” Vweeb recapped.

“That means they’re more evolved than even we are by now.” Nebula concluded. “And for all we know, they have technologies and giant robots greater than we can imagine. This is the last fragment, so we’re gonna be in for the battle of our lives. I hope you guys are ready…”

“Pssh, I’m WAY ready! You’re the one I’m worried about.” Vweeb smirked.

“Hm-hm.” Neb smirked, too. “For the sake of my organization, I’m ready to shoot anybody to smithereens. And no matter how evolved these things are, in the end they’re _nothin’_ …”

Finally, the Shooting Star took land on the planet’s barren surface. They climbed out and cautiously walked through a very thick fog. There was nothing. No metal trees, no tiny robot ants… not the slightest sound besides their footsteps echoing in the fog. The planet was more dead than when they arrived the first time. Then… there was the bang of the gavel.

_BANG! BANG! BANG!_

“Has the jury reached a verdict?”

 ** _“No. We have not.”_** They looked up and flinched with utter shock. Hovering in the air was a swarm of bubbles with little energy lights inside them. **_“For we have evolved to a higher state of consciousness. We are beyond the state of empty, metal husks, and have reached a level beyond that of Logia. We are… Purions.”_**

“Purions?” Nebula spoke quietly.

**_“Yes. For without our physical bodies, we are finally pure. In the grand scheme, all physical beings are but yokels. And this universe, has steadily lost our interest. All the wars that happen, all the battles fought, all the losses… they are mere, petty squabbles.”_ **

And before the three’s eyes, the Dimensional Fragment floated out from the fog. **_“The Dimensional Fragment is yours.”_** They let it drop and bounce on the ground. **_“Take it. And get the hell out.”_**

Nebula approached it confusedly and picked the gem up. “Um… thank you. …What’ll you do now?”

 ** _“We believe we will head to a new, developing universe… and conquer it. In the future, may you hear the name Purions again, and let your mortal nerves crawl. ……”_** And in a single flash, they were gone, never to be seen again.

“…That… could not have been any easier.” Nebula said.

“Let’s go back to Lord Business!” Vweeb perked before they ran back to the ship.

**Octan Tower; Business’s Lab**

Team Nebula (including Makava and MaKayla in tow) and Sector V were gathered in a small audience chamber as Business was working on a project behind curtains on the stage, and drill sounds and blowtorches could be heard. Eventually they stopped as Lord Business walked out. “Boy, sorry I couldn’t get that done sooner, but I’m ALL THUMBS! Heheh!” He held up his grabber-hands. “Ahem… ladies and gentlemen: the unveiling, of the greatest invention ever made by Zathurians or Legoans! I give you… the Dimensionator!” The children’s eyes widened in wonder as the huge curtains opened. They were expecting a gigantic, highly-detailed machine… but there was only a stool that rested a small, mechanical helmet, with the six fragments inserted into slots around the top.

Business grinned as he walked over and held it up. “Whaddya think?”

“…A hat?” Nebula questioned. “The Zathurians’ most prized and remarkable invention that defeated the Cragmites was a _hat_?”

“Now just because an invention is remarkable, it doesn’t have to be 10,000 feet tall!” Business said. “Go on, try it out!” He tossed it to Nebula.

Nebula held the invention in both hands and stared with the greatest wonder. The device she sought since the start of this quest… the item that could warp her across the greatest vastness of space… even the others gathered around her anxiously, wanting to see it in action. Oh well… can’t keep ‘em waiting, she thought. She placed it on her head and announced, “Dimensionator: find… the Avatar Realms! …WHOA!” The small helmet puffed like a balloon, unveiling several antennas, a punching glove that hit Mason, and a little Mario doll. It launched an energy blast and formed a portal a few feet away.

“Ow!” Lin Beifong fell out, recovering to see the familiar faces. “Oh. Hey, guys.”

“Hey, Lin.” Sector V chorused.

“How’s Cheren doing?”

“Planning to shrink him later.” Neb replied.

“Coolio. Well-p, see you later.”

“Later.” They chorused. Lin jumped back in the portal as it vanished.

Nebula pulled the helmet off and stared at it again. “This is… incredible. Your ordinary traveler takes so much energy… but this thing can warp you to the other side of the plain in seconds.”

“Iiii… wouldn’t push it.” Business spoke simply. “I’m not sure how the original version was like, but this can only warp to dimensions that are relatively close in the plain. To go any further would need huge amounts of Space Chi channeled into it.”

“Is _that_ why Vendra took Nebula and Dimentia’s powers?” Aurora asked.

“Hmmmm…” Nebula stared in thought.

The group gathered on the outside balcony and casually approached the _Aloha_. “So what I wanna do is, just walk up to Tachyon, tell the Dimensionator to open Dimension D, and have it suck him inside.” Nebula explained. “The universe is saved, he’ll be back with his people, then we beat the snot out of Vendra and make her give back our powers.”

“You make it sound so easy.” Aurora said. “Including Vendra, Tachyon has so many bodyguards, like Mom, Star Wolf…”

“So we’ll just kick all their butts! Old-school style!” Dillon fist-palmed.

“I’m expecting it to be a challenge.” Nebula replied. “But no matter what happens, we can’t let Vendra get the Dimensionator and awaken the King of Space.”

“I actually have a theory what this ‘King of Space’ is.” Chris said.

“You do?” Aurora asked.

“In my dad’s Galaxia story, he said that Zathura was a living creature that Dimentia wanted to use to destroy the universe.”

“Uh-huh?” Nebula replied, recalling this as well.

“Well, what if the King of Space _is_ Zathura? The consciousness that overtook it?”

“That… would be incredible.” Nebula agreed. “But it still doesn’t tell us what kind of creature it _is_. Black holes don’t just develop a consciousness and wanna destroy the universe.”

“Well, maybe it’s a rogue god. Like… maybe it was an apprentice to Palkia, like Clockwork was to Dialga. He just went evil one day and, wanted to destroy everything.”

“Or it could be just another mysterious being, like Majora.” Aurora figured.

“I bet MaKayla could probably tell us.” Vweeb noted, sparing a look at the timebender.

“Well whatever it is, I’d like to avoid a fight with it, but we probably may have to.” Nebula assumed. “For now, our main priority is banishing away Tachyon and saving GKND. So let’s fly to Coruscant and get to it!”

“Over my missing HAND, Lassie!” They looked up when Captain Slag and his pirates revealed their selves from above the ship.

“Slag!” Neb exclaimed.

“I be quite tired of waitin’ for me interdimensional pen pal to reply.” Slag decided. “So Oi’m takin’ the Dimensionator and askin’ him what’s up, face to face!”

“And afterwards, we might use it for a handy bit of break-ins and gettin’ away easy (hiccup).” Rusty Pete noted.

“So hand it over easy if you don’t wanna get messy.”

“Messy with WHAT, huh??” Vweeb shot back.

“Messy with yer skinny friend’s blood here.” They turned around and gasped as Sprocket held MaKayla upside-down by her feet, threatening to cut her neck with a blade. “I’d hate to see a pretty body like THAT go to waste.”

“MaKayla, DO something!” Aurora yelled.

“Let what must be, be.” She stated simply. “But please hurry, ‘cause my gown keeps falling down.”

Slag dropped to the ground behind Nebula and quickly swiped the Dimensionator. “Hey!”

“Much obliged, Lassie!” he retorted as Sprocket chucked Kayla at Nebula. Slag hopped back on his hoverpad and glided back to his flying ship with the other pirates. “Tell the lads to hold the warpspeed, that’s become obsolete!”

“Wonderful show, Captain, wonderful show (hiccup)!” praised Pete.

“Uh, guys?” They looked at Haylee, who was sticking out from the _Aloha_ ’s hatch. “They sorta broke in and smashed our controls. Me and Business can get ‘em fixed, but it’ll take a while. They glued the Shooting Star to the floor, too.”

“Darn it!” Chris yelled. “Now we’ll never get after them in time!”

Mason suddenly realized something, looking around. “Um… where’s Sheila?”

The kids flinched and searched around frantically. You know, for Sheila Frantic. “NOT AGAIN.” They chorused.

**Sargasso Space Station**

John Fett and Aurorra Bane returned to Sargasso and exhaustedly climbed out of their Wolfens. “Welcome back to the party.” Daddy Masterson remarked. “So I guess the mission was a bust.”

“Yeah, since YOU weren’t there to help us.” John stated.

“Sorry. I already had my battle and got my butt kicked.”

“Yeah, well Tachyon’s planning one last scheme, so now I have to tell the boss what happened.” The fox said as he headed upstairs. “Get the weapons loaded, you two. And wake Dandy up, too.”

John entered a near-dark room where a shadowed person, who seemed to have a fluffy tail, was seated in the darkness. “So how’d it go.” He asked.

“Terrible. Those kids laid waste to us like _Flapjack_. The show, I mean.”

“Didn’t I teach you anything?”

“Not enough. The kid who wasted _me_ happened to be an Uno.”

The man blew smoke from a cigar. “Well, how d’ya have it. Even after I’m over my squabble with them… they still causing me trouble.” He stepped out of the shadows, revealing to be an ancient wolf man with whitish-gray fur and a white beard. “Oh well. ’Guess I can’t let this go unpunished. Your father entrusted me with your care. If I don’t make the Unos pay, I’ll have broken his trust in me.”

__

_

Leader and Senior Member of Star Wolf, a Mobian wolf  
WOLF O’DONNELL

_

__

“Anyway, Tachyon wants you to get ready and-”

“I already heard.” Wolf stopped him. “Go rest up until then. I won’t need much until I’m ready to take off.”

“Well… okay.” John walked off.

“Hm… feels just like yesterday we were doin’ kills for corrupt officials.” Wolf said. “Oh well… either way, the bounty hunter’s code lives on. Kill for anyone who pays us, and kill anyone who DOESN’T pay. And to see what Uno has managed to produce after all this time… how _could_ I miss this trip.”

**Approaching Ublik Passage**

“What a mangy FOOL that Tachyon be, Rusty Pete!” declared Captain Slag as they were approaching their headquarters, an abandoned space station. “He be wastin’ many good men to stop those snotty scallywags. All we had ta do was WAIT for ‘em to build the Dimensionator, and snatch it from roight under their noses!” Clutching to the side of their ship, just beneath the window, was the adventurous little sheila known as Sheila. “With this, Ay’ll rob all the greatest treasures from every dimension! Ay’ll be feared across the galaxy as, the ‘Time-Space Pirate’!”

“But ‘ang on.” Pete said. “The Dimensionator only travels space, not time.”

“Too bad, since you won’t even have time to USE it!” Sheila declared as she climbed into the window.

“Davy Jarg’s rust-bolts!” exclaimed Slag. “It be the mangy reindeer from the lads’ crew!”

“Wot the- Reindeer?! Ah’m a raccoon, you drunk dog, not a reindeer! Now give back that fancy hat or I’ll pound you across- Ow!” When she punched her left fist to her right palm, she shook the injured, bandaged fist.

“Ho ho! You’ll have to do that with one hand tied at yer front, Lassie! Unless those bandages are meant to fool, come at me!”

“Hurrrrr. Ah’ll come at you like angry REINDEER!” She dashed at the chubby captain and PUNCHED him across the face with her left fist. “Nnnnnnn!!!” It didn’t take long until pain surged through.

“Yer brain has less spark than that fiery ’tude of yours!” Slag said as he lifted her by her shirt using his hook hand. “Mother must’ve been drunker ‘an a hobo at a crack factory, and raised by donkeys that kicked her around ‘til her brain was knocked from her body!” Sheila immediately ceased struggling, and rage began building inside. “It’s time I hauled ye overboard, Lassie.” Slag said as he approached the window. “I hope to be dining on raccoon-deer for supper. Bon tomber!”

The raccoon lass was thrown out of the window, but she hovered using her tail and landed on a thin ledge on the side of the space station. Slag turned to Pete and said, “Drop me below, Rusty Pete. Ay’ve first got a personal issue to deal with regarding this Dimensionator. Blow that runt to space-dust.”

As Sheila carefully sidled along the ledge, she gasped when the flagship sailed down and aimed its cannons. “No one dents the captain’s perfectly good chin!” Pete announced. “All guns take aim, and make sure we preserve the corpse (hiccup)!” (Play “The Precipice” from _Rayman 2: The Great Escape_!)

 

_Stage 23: Ublik Passage_

_Mission: Get the Dimensionator back from Captain Slag!_

Sheila sidled quicker along the ledge as the ship began blasting at her, destroying the parts of the ledge behind her. A cannon shot below her, causing her to fall, but she grabbed the ledge with her right hand and began to grapple across, which was a struggle with one hand to do so. There was a Snapdragon hole ahead of her, below the ledge, but the cannons shot ahead and destroyed it. She continued to grapple across and saw another Snapdragon hole above the ledge. Having an idea, she got close enough, so when the Snapdragon shot down, she grabbed its neck between her feet, so when it retracted, she was hauled back onto the ledge, then sidled across faster. There were a few more Snapdragons, but Sheila punched them with her free fist and didn’t slow for a second as the ship kept firing. The ship began to break gaps in the path which Sheila could jump, but a ledge she was on soon collapsed and made her plummet into a vent below.

She slid into a hallway of the station and shook the dust off, but quickly jumped to her feet when the ship rammed through the wall and fired cannons at her again. She dashed and jumped across several boxes, and when the ship blasted barrels of gunpowder and set the path on fire, Sheila had to run around them, but the ship exploded the barrels at the last second before she passed, startling her. She made a turn down a left hall, and the ship stayed in place as it sent pirates on flying turrets. They shot the path ahead of her and turned it to flames at random spots, forcing her to keep an eye out and dodge carefully. She then jumped up a stairway of increasing crates, reaching a thin hallway that the ship furiously bombarded from the outside. The path behind her was speedily blowing to pieces, and she kicked her feet faster as the destruction was catching up. She jumped a few ruined gaps in the road before finally jumping out into a huge, cylindrical shaft.

A squad of pirates slid down from above using ropes, but Sheila easily punched and kicked them away before beginning to climb one of their ropes. Cannons in the walls shot at her and cut the ropes above, so she jumped to alternate ones and kept going. Pirates came down on parachutes and burned the ropes with flamethrowers, making Sheila climb up faster. She reached a thin, fencelike walkway that snaked around and up the room, so Sheila once again began to run up as cannons blasted her. The narrow path was wobbly, but her feet stayed firm as she kept going up, her eyes focused straight ahead. When the path ended, a fence wall led her up higher, and using one hand and both feet to climb was all she needed. Naturally, cannons blasted holes in the fence, but she didn’t stop until she reached the doorway above.

She began running along a walkway on the side of a wall as the flagship blasted her from the right, with Rusty Pete dancing on the deck. He was amazed that Sheila could run so fast in those loose flip-flops. He destroyed several parts of the path, but she kept gracefully leaping across, and he detected no tiredness in her legs. She then swung several dangling chains with her hand and legs as Slag called, _“By JOVIE, Rusty Pete, it’s just one cat! Why do ye need to destroy the whole base to get her?”_

_“She’s bein’ a bit tricky, but no worries, Captain! I’m goin’ full throttle!”_

He blasted mines in the path that exploded once Sheila crossed, and also dropped dancing squids that she had to jump, too. The mines didn’t do much as Sheila was too fast, but she was hoisted slightly when the paths behind her blew off. Regardless, she kept running like a pro athlete, like she’s seen this before and knew the exact moves to make. It was also weird how their dancing squids looked just like Squidward. Sheila began the dash up a long stairwell, and swung her feet forcefully at any pirates charging down to cut her. Even when the stairway tilted down, she ran up the vertical path and escaped through the next door.

She was in a dark shaft and had to dash straight up a wall, and jumped back and forth between the parallel walls to avoid buzzsaws ahead. Pirates dropped down and tried to cut her, but that still didn’t surprise her as she kept dodging. She made it to a straight hall where pirates popped out of compartments and tried to slice her. The next path was on a very high ledge, when the hall narrowed, so she Wall Jumped up and avoided the pirates on the way. 

She made it back into an upward shaft where wind blew up, so she spun her tail propeller and hovered straight up. Once again, pirates dropped from above and attempted to cut her, and they were harder to navigate around in this windy shaft. Once she was a quarter of the way up, missiles were launched down, but it took one Light Sphere from her right fist to destroy each of them. The wind eventually stopped flowing halfway up, so she had to bounce up a series of pirates on parachutes. She then simply had to swing a few chains to reach a ladder that led out of the shaft.

She was finally on the upper areas of the station where pirates roamed around like townspeople, and hovercars with pirates passed through. The flagship continued to blast at Sheila as she ran through, shoving all the pirates aside on the way. When she reached a dead end, she had to jump across the hovercars over a chasm, making the pirates angered when she did so. The ship began to settle down when Sheila was making it to a tall, wide circular platform, running up the spiral stairs that led to its top. She was soon at the highest point of the station as the flagship calmly sailed around it. When she made it up top, she saw Captain Slag with the Dimensionator. (End song.)

“Ahhhh, Ay’ve encountered many a rat in my time, but none as crafty as you, it seems. Well, except Jerry, before he and Tom moved to their new resort. Which they destroyed in their attempts to outwit each other.”

“Oi, check your vision sensors, Mate. I’m a _raccoon_ , not any of these other rodents!” Sheila stated.

“Yer all part of the same annoying family as far as I’m concerned.” Slag said as he turned to face her. “And no rodent is skittering away with this tasty cheese o’ mine. It’s gonna make me fabulously wealthy, and all the pen pals I’ve never met are all within reach! And it’s time ONE o’ them fine’ly replies to my message!” He stuck the helmet on and yelled, “Dimensionator! Find the TERMINAN Slag!” The invention sparked to life and blasted a portal open a few feet away. Sheila and Slag watched, and Rusty Pete climbed down to see this, too.

In seconds, another Rusty Pete stepped through the portal, holding a mask of Captain Slag. “Is this the new dance room Sprocket was talking about?”

“Holy smokes!” the Hyrule Rusty Pete jumped. “I ‘ave a twin!”

“Bejolt my under-hardware!” Termina Pete said. “You look just like me!”

“You must be the Termina Pete! I’m your interdimensional counterpart!”

“For real? So YOU’RE the blokes me captain’s been communicatin’ with!”

“Yes, and he’s a fine 4 months late.” Slag stated. “Where is the mangy bloke?”

“Oh, I’ve got some bad news, Parallel Captain. Your ol’ twin’s been scrapped where he stood, and ‘is soul imprisoned in a mask.” He showed them the Slag’s Mask that Cheren once used on his grand journey.

“Ahhhh, that’s how I wanna go.” sighed Hyrule Slag. “Keep me mind and spirit in a wee piece of facewear. Ah well… good restin’ to him. What say you, Other Pete, we merge our two crews and create the most formidable of scallywags across the infinite galaxies?”

Termina Pete put on the Slag Mask and said, “Arrrr, that be a right fine idea, Other Me. Our crew will be unstoppable, wakka-wakka!”

“Most EXEMPLARY, Other Me! Let us cross worlds immediately. …Ehh, as soon as I swab the deck with this mangy platypus here.” He turned to Sheila.

“Now that’s just hurtful, Mate.” She frowned. “But any way you have it, Ah’ll take insults to me, butCHU ain’t warpin’ ANYWHERE after insulting my MUM.”

“Really, young chipmunk? And what makes ye think a fight here will be any different from back on the ship?”

“Don’t ya know anything about Mobians, Mate?” Sheila smirked. “Our _real_ power is in our feet, not our fists. And these pair of sandals have stuck with me for a thousand miles. Ah’ll punch you with one fist behind my back, and KICK you for the rest of that term!”

“So be it! Then let us both engage with but a single arm out of commission!” She expected Slag to hide his right, hook hand, but he instead hid his left, normal hand. “And clash like the swashbuckling amputees we are. ENGUARDE, you thieving hedgehog!” (Play Slag’s Theme from _Ratchet: Tools of Destruction_.)

 

_Boss fight: Captain Romulus Slag_

The pirate’s hook hand became a cup of grog as he guzzled the beverage down and blasted fireballs at Sheila, who began dashing around him quickly until she could get behind. Afterwards, she attempted to run at him, jump, and punch him across the face with her right hand. She bounced back as Slag changed his hook to a sword and swung at Sheila, but she jumped, spun, and landed a series of kicks against him. Of course, the robot’s solid metal head was barely fazed, but he was amazed she managed to knock him around just a little. He caught her shirt on his hook and tossed her away, and when she recovered, Sheila ran when Slag jumped and attempted to smash her.

Sheila noticed the thermometer on his belly and rapidly spun her fist as Slag guzzled more grog. Before he could shoot flames, Sheila punched a charged Light Sphere at his thermometer and made his temperature increase. With that, she quickly punched more Light Spheres, but using only her right fist made them weaker than they’re supposed to. Regardless, she managed to increase his temperature enough to make steam pop out of gaps in his body, and he was stunned for a while. She took this time to spin her right fist and build up more light energy. When her fist felt good and hot, she ran and punched him forcefully against his thermometer, making a few bolts blow off from the heat.

“Oi, that lass has more punch than Mike Tyson with Chuck Norris’s beard!” Hyrule Pete said.

“’ang on. _You_ watch boxing?” Termina Pete asked.

“Goodness no, but the captain ‘as it on all the time.”

“That goes same for _my_ Slaggy.”

“Does your Sprocket like botany?”

“Nothing more could be on his mind!”

“WILL YE just call for backup?!” Slag demanded.

“WILL DO, Captain (hiccup)!” they both chorused.

The flagship dropped a bunch of Swabs and Corsairs, and Sheila was quick to dodge their shots as she ran around them. She kicked a Corsair’s gun into the air and caught it before shooting the others, then tossed it at a Swab’s head before running again. She ran behind some crates and supplies and picked up some powder kegs with both hands. Her left hand winced a little in pain, but she summoned enough strength to throw the kegs at the Swabs and blow them up. She dodged when Slag suddenly burst through the supplies, and grabbed a powder keg that rolled out. When Slag was preparing a fire blast, Sheila tossed the keg and exploded it on him. Slag shook it off and stepped through the smoke, but Sheila leapt straight at him, turned upside-down, and flipped back while swinging her foot at his face full force.

“Guhhh!” It was expected her toes would hurt upon impact of the metal, and she gripped them tight after landing.

“Arrrr, the center of me face be a few cubit meters out of proportion.” said Slag when Sheila made a slight dent. “Ay best be gettin’ back into shape. Ay’ll put some weights on YOUR bones, too!” Slag whipped out two pairs of long, heavy weights and electrified them as he slammed them on the ground and sent electric shockwaves that Sheila jumped.

“’ey, Oi thought you were only usin’ ONE arm!” Sheila stated.

“No, I said I’m using one hand, and I AM using one hand!”

“No, you said ‘arm’.”

“Oh, well I meant ‘hand.’ And Ay’ll HAND ye a crushing defeat!” He swung the weights faster, but Sheila was quick to dodge.

“Then Ah’ll just use your weight against you.” Sheila spun her fist around and dodged the pirate’s swings as she ran to him and punched his thermometer, jumping overhead as Slag let his left weight slump and bonk his head. He then flipped the weights and held the other sides up, which were magnets, using them to attract nearby metal crates and scraps and repel them at the raccoon. He then attracted the two Petes on each magnet, as the Hyrule Pete said, “I’ve never felt so close to you, Captain.” He repelled the two Petes at Sheila, but she jumped and kicked them both at Slag, bumping and making him flip the weights as the magnets attracted to him, pinning the two Petes to his front. “Okay, NOW I never felt closer to you (hiccup).”

With that, Sheila jumped up and punched two Light Spheres at the weights, making them repel and push the pirates away. The weights also bounced and rolled off the edge as the swabbies recovered. “Arrrrr, alright ye bouncy kangaroo. Ay’ll show ye once and for all, yer precious fists o’ gold be NO MATCH for Slag’s iron belly!”

“Fists o’ gold?” Pete repeated. “Hmmmm…” He walked off, feeling curious.

Slag stomped the ground and opened a hatch containing a huge cup of grog and began to guzzle the whole tub down. Sheila glared and began to spin both fists, and even though she ached in her left fist, she spun it anyway. Slag’s belly increased more and more while Sheila’s arms spun into whipping light blurs. Finally, Slag set the empty jug of grog down, and Sheila’s fists brightened the tower. As Slag charged for a massive fire breath, Sheila dashed at him, jumped, and kicked off his face with both feet to bounce high into the air. Slag fell backward from the impact, and Sheila looked down at the clear wide target that was his belly. _“EeeeeeeEEEHHHHHH!”_ With both fists brimming with power, Sheila slammed down and SMASHED Slag’s belly like a big, metal balloon. _“HAAAAAAHHH!”_

The grog-filled pirate exploded into flames, his various parts flying around. Sheila flipped back to her feet as the Dimensionator landed in her right hand, and Slag’s head landed in her unbandaged left hand. “Ohhh, POP me cannons!” he cursed. “Ye mangy turtle!”

“Can it, ya rusty soccerball!” Sheila retorted before kicking him away. (End song.)

Slag landed near the edge of the tower as the Hyrule Rusty Pete walked back with a poster. “Captain, I thought the little sheila looked familiar! Look!” He showed him a wanted poster. “She bare the same look as Golden-Fist Marine!”

“Scrub yer eyes, Rusty Pete! This wee lass be a mere runt! The real Golden-Fist Marine be VICIOUS!”

“Well then.” They turned back as Sheila approached them with a devious smirk. “I bet Gold-Fist Marine won’t be lookin’ so bright after she ‘ears you’ve been messing with her daughter.”

“Wait… Golden-Fist Marine is… YOUR _MOM_?!?” Slag screamed with utter shock.

“The very same one that was raised by donkeys who kicked the BRAIN outta her body.” She frowned.

“Eh, we were just kidding about that, really. I got that from Rusty Pete, actually.”

“Now I don’t recall mutterin’ a- (hiccup).” Pete said.

“If Mum were here, she would turn you into TEETHbrushes! And nosehair trimmers! And ear-scrubbers! All that disgusting stuff, really. But you’re getting off easy. Eeeehhhh-YAH!!” The raccoon lass ran forward and PUNCHED the severed head so hard, he flew far beyond the orange fiery sky of this planetoid.

“…Well, I guess we better go get him, then.” Rusty Pete decided before he and his counterpart jumped off the tower.

Hearing roaring engines, Sheila looked up and found the _Aloha Oe_ coming down for a landing. “There you are, Sheila!” Aurora yelled as the team ran out. “What were you doing out here?!”

“Gettin’ your silly ol’ helmet back, duh.” Sheila said as she noted the Dimensionator on the floor a few feet away.

“Where’s Slag?” Nebula asked.

“Oh, he’s around.” They looked around at the many fallen pieces of Slag. “He weren’t no stronger than a cup of-” But at that moment, the immense pain finally caught up in Sheila’s left fist. “YOOOOOOOWWWWWW!” She rolled around and gripped it in pain.

“Hold still!” Haruka yelled as she went to bandage it again. “Sheesh, you always have to do such reckless things!”

“Well, aside from that… I guess things are all well and good.” Nebula figured. “Now we can get back to sending Tachyon to the Cragmites’ dimension. Afterwards, I can use it to travel to all sorts of dimensions and start a universe-wide Kids Next Door!” She looked very enthusiastic then.

“I’m afraid I’ll have to stop you there.” MaKayla stated. “As soon as it’s served its purpose, the Dimensionator must be destroyed.”

“What? How come?” As they talked, a single barrel appeared to be sneaking up behind Sheila. When she turned around, it immediately sat itself down.

“The power of space is dangerous to control by artificial means. It’s already dangerous letting _mortals_ control elements. Overuse of the Dimensionator would create a calamity that could bend and rip the whole universe from the fabric.”

“I’m not letting anyone destroy it!” Nebula decided as the mysterious barrel snuck closer, the Dimensionator its target. “With Zathura destroyed, the only thing that links me to my own culture is the Dimensionator. And setting up KNDs in other worlds could create universe-wide peace.”

“Isn’t spreading rule to other worlds what _Tachyon_ is trying to do?”

“He’s trying to spread a rule of evil, _my_ rule is all about PEACE.”

“While it’s not a crime for various cultures to interact, it’s incredibly dangerous if too many dimensions start visiting each other.”

“If Time is the opposite of Space, maybe it’s a _good_ thing they interact.”

“Time is closely linked to Space, so in that sense it’s a BAD thing.”

“You just have no appreciation for alien cultures.”

“QUIT making up silly excuses and just-” But their fighting was cut short when a figure finally jumped out of the moving barrel.

“Your journey is over, kids!” Pollyx declared as he took the Dimensionator. “Leave the rest to me!”

“Pollyx?” Nebula questioned. “What’re you doing here?”

“After aiding you kids for so long, it just won’t do me well to let you fly to Tachyon on your own! Since I am technically under Mom’s employ, I can easily approach them more casual-like! I’ll use the Dimensionator to send Tachyon away myself, and the universe will be saved! Ehh, don’t worry, I’ll give you credit.” With that, the stubby scientist was encased in a small rocket, and they watched as it took off to the sky.

“…Well, that’s awfully nice of him.” Aurora said.

“Something’s not right.” Nebula said with suspicion. “We have to follow him.”

“Way ahead of you.” Haylee said as she ran out. “I called Jerome and Neftin, apparently Tachyon is waiting on his home planet, Reepor. He said it’s not too far from here.”

“Pollyx was using an old-model escape pod, programmed to fly to the closest planet.” Neb observed. “Must be where he’s heading. Let’s go.” They all hurried on the ship to take off.

**Reepor; Cragmite Ruins**

Tachyon stood upon a cliff that overlooked a vast plain of his homeworld. Empty… dead… not a soul’s stirred here in eons. It hurt him to think what the Zathurians did… but made him glad, knowing victory was just moments away. Mom approached him from behind with an evil smile. “My crappy assistant actually got the Dimensionator. He’s already on a one-way rocket to _us_. The moment we worked for for 40 years is finally here.”

“Yes… ever since you rescued me from Glacia… it’s been my destiny to revive the Cragmite race. And as soon as this planet is repopulated, we will finally take revenge against that _wretched_ Zathurian and her friends.”

“And _let it_ be _swift_.” stated Agatha Trunchbull as she tugged her whip. “Those rotten kids are looking at TWENTY years worth of detention and SEVERAL unbearable hours in the CHOKY.”

“Choke yourself.” remarked Wolf O’Donnell as he blew his cigarette. “But just leave the Uno brats to me.”

“Remember _our_ end of the deal, _too_.” Vendra glared at Tachyon. “When you’re done bringin’ the Cragmites back, _I_ need the Dimensionator. Especially if you want your rule to spread farther.”

“We’ll see depending on my attitude, _Dear_.” Tachyon told her.

“Pardon me, Mother, but, shouldn’t the Drophyd Leader be here?” Mom’s son, Walt asked.

“We asked him to watch over CAESAR, you TWIT!” she smacked him. “Someone needs to keep that clown in position!”

“Then everything is where it should be.” Tachyon smirked. “And soon, the Cragmites will be, too. Be prepared, my accomplices, and count yourselves lucky, as you witness the universe enter a _new_ age: the AGE of the CRAGMITES! MWAH HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! And then comes the coup de grâce… when I execute the last of the Zathurians! STARTING WITH DIMENTIA! UWAH HA HA HA HA HA HA!”

 

**Oh, Tachyon’s laugh. :P Anyway, here we come to the final battles of this story. Once again, all our villains are ready, so the heroes must BE ready. Now the fun part of the story, guess which heroes are gonna fight which villains! We can already rule out Mason, Jerome, Chris, Makava, and Sheila, because they already fought baddies. But here are some hints: Wolf has a grudge against the Unos, Trunchbull is insanely strong, Drophyd Leader is guarding Caesar, Mom hates defective machines, Vendra is a powerful spacebender, and Tachyon is the main villain. :P So use those hints to pair them up with their hero matches. Next time, we will head to Reepor and see what Pollyx is up to! =P Later!**

**…**

**_If you can guess what the King of Space is, DON’T SAY IT!!_ **


	22. Return of the Cragmites

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The KND tries to stop Tachyon from summoning the Cragmites!

**Okay guys, we are nearing the story’s finale, as we head to Tachyon’s home planet, we are preparing to fight the final boss, Tachyon, and his accomplices! Shoulda made their matches pretty obvious. :P**

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Chapter 21: Return of the Cragmites

_**

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**Planet Reepor; over Cragmite Ruins**

The _Aloha Oe_ entered Reepor’s atmosphere and was sailing across its vast wastelands. “So this is where Tachyon lives, huh?” Artie observed. “No wonder he wanted to be emperor.”

“I called Jerome and said he’d hear from me again in half an hour.” Nebula mentioned. “If he doesn’t, we’re probably in trouble and he should run around in circles, crying for help.”

“Good plan, I like it.” replied Artie.

“Uh-oh! If we had a plan, we better execute it!” Haylee yelled as ships started bombarding them. “We’ve arrived at their territory!”

Nebula loaded her S.H.O.O.T.E.R. and ordered, “Land the ship and charge forward! No reason to change things now. Gilligans, stay on the _Aloha_ and protect it, it’s our only way off this rock. Kids Next Door: BATTLE STATIONS!”

“(We really need to use that more.)” Chris mentioned. (Play “Aqueduct Assault” from _Donkey Kong: Tropical Freeze_.)

 

_Stage 24: Cragmite Ruins_

_Mission: Get the Dimensionator back and stop Tachyon!_

_Act 1_

The heroes charged through a small field of Drophyd Troops, the fish-heads firing as Bender stretched over and pulled himself against a squadron. Vanellope glitched her way to a huge wall of cannons, attracting the cannons’ attention as she zipped around and made them shoot other Drophyds. She was also carrying Vweeb, so she slipped the little alien into one of the cannons so he could dismantle it from the inside. Bender hopped onto another cannon so he could bend it in a loop and make it destroy itself, and Sheila hopped onto another to punch and dent it with her right fist, making it destroy itself. After Makava sliced the turret off the remaining cannon, Bender proceeded to bend the wall’s gateway down and let them all pass.

They headed up a stairway that led to another field, where two long lines of Killbots rolled forward, ready to shoot. Kirie gracefully dodged their bullets and bounced on their heads to make them shoot each other, while Dillon slithered as a shadow underneath them and tricked them to shooting downward, causing the bullets to bounce back and hit them. Mason ran to the cannons on the left side and shot gas into their turrets, then Chris shot flames inside to make the cannons explode. Haruka and Aurora repeated this process on the right side, and once the cannons were gone, Bender made a terrific leap over the gateway and pushed the button on the other side to open it.

The kids hurried through and went up another stairway to an even wider field. There were elite Drophyd troops like Enforcers or Cyclocannons paired with Ruffians and Killbots. Nebula zapped Space Lightning up an Enforcer’s legs while Vweeb dashed to a Ruffian Mech and entered its hardware to tear up wires. Vanellope glitched inside of a Killbot and made it shoot its allies before blasting at a wall cannon, and when the bullets didn’t do much, she made the Killbot speed over and blow itself up on it. Just as well, Kirie got on a cannon and smiled innocently as she slid a bunch of teddybears from a T.H.U.M.P.E.R. down its turret. When the cannon clogged, it blew itself up when trying to fire.

Chris furiously punched away Ruffians with flaming fists while Mason and Haruka grabbed an Enforcer’s legs in Poison Whips to make them melt and for the Enforcer to fall over. Nebula shrunk Makava with Space Shrink as the tiny swordsgirl leaped into a Cyclocannon’s structure and started speedily slicing its wiring. The cannon’s wheels fell off as the fish-head was exposed. Dillon got on another wall cannon and attempted a new shadowbending move, wrapping his shadow Mario around the turret and strangling it until it smashed. Afterwards, MaKayla froze the remaining turret in time and sped its years until it finally rusted and decayed.

With the turrets defeated, a computer terminal unveiled itself at the gateway. Vanellope ran over and hacked in to begin finding the code. She entered the code ‘The New King’ to make the final gate open. With that, all of the heroes charged forth and passed through a snaky cavern. At the cave’s end, they looked before none other than Emperor Tachyon on his walking throne, his associates Mom, her sons, Vendra, Trunchbull, and Wolf O’Donnell by his sides. They stood atop a cliff as the kids charged forward. (End song.)

“My, my, if it isn’t young Miss Winkiebottom.” spoke Tachyon smugly. “For someone with so limited spacebending, you’ve traveled very far.”

“Tachyon!” glared Nebula.

“Star Wolf??” Aurora recognized.

“Unos.” Wolf glared with hate.

 _“Pig.”_ Trunchbull snapped at Haruka.

“Bull.” Haru stated simply.

“Mommy!” Bender smiled with glee.

“Hmph. Useless junkbot.” Mom huffed.

“Girl in pajamas.” Vendra said to MaKayla.

“Uuuugh! I am tired of!...”

“Mwah ha ha ha! So glad you fools finally decided to join us!” the emperor laughed. “I had no intention of starting the show without you. But first, I must ask, how do you fancy my new crown? Fairly fitting for a king of my stature, is it not?”

 _Well, it’s somewhat decent, but you’ve REALLY got taste in jewelry!_ Kirie beamed, admiring the purple glowing gems on the crown.

“Heeey! THAT’S no crown!” Bender observed. “I stole hundreds of them, so I should know! That’s…”

“The Dimensionator!” Nebula exclaimed.

“MWAH HA HA HA! Many thanks for finding it for me, Deeeear! We must pass the compliments to Lord Business later!”

“I don’t understand! Pollyx was on his way here to banish you with it!”

“Where do you think it CAME from, you twerp?!” Mom shouted. She said in a more caring tone, “Pollyx dear, would you please come out so the kiddies can acknowledge you?”

“Em, I’d rather not…”

“Ugh!” Vendra snapped her fingers and warped Pollyx to the front. “Just do it so we can get this underway!”

“ _Pollyx?_ …” Nebula was nearly speechless.

“Eh, hello, Nebula. Um, remember when I said I would deal with Tachyon by myself? Ehh, I was actually ehh, going to give him the…”

“YOU DIRTY- Ow!” Sheila wanted to punch him, but her left fist ached again.

“You betrayed us, Pollyx?!” Vweeb yelled. “But why!”

“Because he’s my employee, you dummies!” Mom smirked. “Ever since I bought his company! The only way he could stay in business and research his petty supernatural activities was to do what I said!”

“But he’s the original owner of the company! Why would he let you buy it in the first place?”

“Mommy took his son,” Igner mentioned, “and threatened to hold him hostage unless Pollyx did what Mom said- OW!” Mom smacked her son.

“Took his… son?” Nebula questioned.

“Well… yes.” Pollyx admitted with shame. “My son went exploring a few weeks ago and never came back. Mom revealed to have captured him, and wouldn’t release him until I signed my company to her. But even after _that_ , she STILL wouldn’t release him until I, er, tricked you guys into helping me find the Dimensionator.”

“So that’s why Sollyx never reported for so long…” Nebula spoke quietly. “Mom was holding him hostage all along?!”

“Why can’t we have _one_ adventure where one of our friends isn’t a double agent?” Chris asked.

“Plot twists are always fun.” Tachyon said. “And the _real_ plot twist hasn’t even happened, yet!” He winked at the readers. “Now let’s get on with the real reason we all came here for: the dawn of Galaxia’s NEW age! And now, by the powers vested in me as ruler of this planet, it is time for the Cragmites to rise AGAIN!” He pushed a button on the helmet, and in a flash, colorful fireworks and streamers came flying out, and a banner that read ‘HAPPY BIRTHDAY!’ “…Um… to rise AGAIN!” He pushed another button, making a punching glove hit Vendra.

“OW! Grrrrr!”

“…To rise AGAIN!” Another button pushed, making a curtain cover Tachyon’s body. Many buzzing sounds were heard, and the curtains unveiled to reveal him dressed like Sailor Moon. He pushed the button again, and the same actions happened to get him back to normal. “…How do I work this thing?”

“Turn the dial on the top.” Nebula replied.

He did so, and the device puffed up. “And?”

“Just tell it who you want it to find.” Nebula answered.

“Okay, thanks. Ahem… Dimensionator: FIND the _CRAGMIIIIIITES!”_

The Dimensionator unleashed a powerful blast into the sky, and a wind began to blow across the land as a tremendous vortex slowly grew. The kids only stared with anxiety, wondering what foul monsters would emerge from the spiral. Tachyon and Mom smirked wickedly, for the key to universal conquest was seconds away. Trunchbull stood impatiently, wanting to just whip some kids, and Wolf blew his cigarette uninterestedly. And of course, Vendra glared with impatience, hoping these Cragmites would hurry up so she could have the Dimensionator.

Several beams of light shone down from the vortex, and when they touched the ground, several silhouetted beings made their presence known. They looked very buff and vicious, ready to tear anyone limb from limb. Then… the lights vanished, and the Cragmites revealed. An army of vicious, insect-like monsters… all standing around and drinking tea like charming gentlemen. Some sat at tables with lovely curtains, reading newspapers or drinking tea, while some dined on delicious crumpets.

 _“Aaaaaahhhhhck.”_ Tachyon and Mom’s mouths nearly fell open in unspeakable shock.

“I say, whatever happened to the fine veranda we were just dining on?” a Cragmite asked in a British accent.

“This new décor really doesn’t peek my fancy.” a female replied.

“… … …” Tachyon and Mom still had no words.

“Didn’t you say the Cragmites were banished by the Zathurians 2 million years ago?” Dillon asked Nebula.

“I guess a culture changes rapidly in such a huge amount of time.” Nebula figured.

“Grrrrr WHAT ARE YOU FOOLS SITTING AROUND FOR?!” Tachyon screamed. “You’re supposed to be TEARING THEM LIMB FROM LIMB!”

“Mmm, pleeease. What do you think we are, Neancragerthals?” a Cragmite asked.

“But I…I…”

“If we’re all done here, we really must be going. We’re having cricket this evening, don’t you see. We don’t know how to play it, but it’s what we do.” And with that said, the Cragmites turned into beams and shot up to the vortex again. The portal closed in an instant, and the barren fields fell into dead silence once again.

“… …” Tachyon and Mom turned back at the heroes with an honest-defeated expression. “…Um… I honestly expected your bones to be removed from your flesh by now. …I didn’t come here with any Plan B whatsoever.”

“That’s disappointing.” MaKayla said simply.

“Great, so the Cragmite invasion’s a bust.” Vendra summarized. “Can I have the Dimensionator now? I don’t have time for this.”

“Time… Wait…” It was then that Tachyon noticed the peculiar staff MaKayla was holding. “It couldn’t be… GRAB THAT STAFF!”

Faster than they could react, Wolf flashed over and KICKED MaKayla away, taking her staff and jumping back to Tachyon. “I KNEW it!” The emperor said as he observed the clock. “The legendary Chrono Staff, held by the Time Spirits of old! With this, the Dimensionator can travel through Space AND Time!” He yanked the clock off and stuck it on the Dimensionator’s front.

“Wait! Neither invention was meant to utilize the power of the other!” MaKayla told him.

“Blah blah blah, complain to your Time God. DIMENSIONATOR! Find the Cragmites from about 1,499,899 years ago!” And the invention sparked to life again, glowing blue as it harnessed the power from the Chrono Staff’s clock. Another portal opened in the sky as blue light shone from it, and legions of figures rained down onto the fields.

 _“RAAAAAAAHHH!”_ a Cragmite Warrior landed before the kids, roaring with bloodthirsty rage.

“MWAAAAH ha ha ha ha haaaaa! IT WOOOORKED! Now let’s get the REAL fun started!” Tachyon stood upon the cliff’s ledge and announced to his legions, “CITIZENS of Reepor, WELCOME to the future! I am Emperor Percival Tachyon, your NEW ruler! Two million years ago, the Zathurians destroyed you! But NOW you are back, and all but 3 Zathurians have been extinguished! Today, we shall destroy them all, and take our RIGHTFUL place as rulers of the universe! And with the Dimensionator, the ultimate powers of Space at our disposal, NOTHING will stop us!”

“Grrrr!” Nebula ran at the emperor and attempted a blast of Space Lightning, but Vendra blocked her with a Space Block and blew it up to push her back. “Whoa!”

Wolf zipped around fast as lightning and kicked all the kids off their feet. Chris and Aurora ran at and threw fire at him, but he dodged behind and “Finger Pistol!” pressed both his index and middle fingers together to pierce their backsides like bullets.

“HuuuUUUUH!” Sheila ran at Trunchbull to attempt a forceful punch with her right fist, but the muscular principal easily punched her back and flung her against the wall in a flash.

“Impudent worm. NO child is STRONGER than ME!”

“Uhhhh, come on, even a TEACHUH is gettin’ my species wrong!” Sheila groaned.

“Heeeee!” Vanellope glitched around and kicked all of Mom’s kids in the head, but when she went for the Corporate President, she suddenly stopped and started sparking in midair.

“Hmph.” Mom smirked and simply smacked Vanellope back to her friends.

“Vanellope!” Dillon exclaimed.

“If we’re all done, let me use the Dimensionator!” Vendra demanded.

“Not until victory is assured.” Tachyon wagged his finger. “You can speed that process, by warping these fools over the boiling acid RIVER!”

“Uuuuugh!” With that, Vendra snapped her fingers, and all heroes were teleported in an instant.

“MWAH HA ha ha!” the emperor laughed. “At last, it’s DONE! Well, almost. It’s time to enforce Cragmite rule across Galaxia! Starting by conquering Coruscant and SHOWING those lousy senators OUR SUPREME POWER! _Then_ , my dear, you will _have_ what you WANT.” Vendra only glared with spite. As Tachyon’s walking throne marched forward, he said to his muscular accomplice, “Trunchbull! Search the area to see if those kids are still around. _I don’t trust Miss Vendra’s actions._ I leave Cragmite command in this area under your control.” He handed her a Cragmite badge and continued forward.

“Hmph. In charge of wretched vermin again. No matter. I was actually looking forward to this.” With that, the evil principal walked off.

“Ahhhh, the smell of victory.” Tachyon sighed. “Smells like tart. Oh well. But with the powers of Space and Time at my command, the Cragmite Empire will NEVER-” However, he heard a spiraling sound above and looked up with confusion. “What the…?!” His eyes widened.

**Jerome and Neftin’s ship, half an hour later**

“Hmmmm… no call from Nebula. She must be in trouble.” Jerome assumed.

“In hindsight, she should’ve set the time higher.” Neftin commented.

“Well, action stages don’t usually take that long. Let us just see how they’re doing.” Jerome attempted to call the _Aloha_ , but-

_“The number you have dialed has been dissolved into matter. If you would like to make a call, wait until all the particles are back in place.”_

“…Well, that’s not a notice you get everyday.” Neftin said.

“Sigh, alright, they’ve been captured. And it’s safe to assume their ship’s incapacitated, so we’ll probably have to carry them.”

“I don’t know if you noticed, but you and me have a hard time squeezing in together as it is.” Indeed, their little cockpit was fairly small, likely only meant for Neftin. “We’re gonna need a bigger ship.”

“…Wait… is that-?” Jerome looked ahead and saw a long, snaky ship swerving uncontrollably in the distance.

 _“-aaaaaaaAAAAAHH!”_ The R.O.C.K.E.T.-T.R.A.I.N. zipped by them like a bullet, going to an asteroid garden and bumping all around the drifting rocks.

 _“Chimney, slow down, we’re going to crash!”_ Apis yelled.

_“Those funky fruit juices on Amazonia ain’t do me good no, HOOOHHN?”_

_“Gyom-gyoooooom!”_

_“Ooooooh, I didn’t sign up for this!”_ Sollyx whimpered. _“Can I please get off at the nearest field of monsters?”_

“…” Jerome and Neftin raised curious brows.

**Back on Reepor**

“…Mmmmm… oww.” Dillon awoke at the bottom of a dark gorge, looking up to see if they’ve fallen from where they just were. He couldn’t tell. He heard sparking nearby, and gasped at Vanellope’s unconscious, glitching form. “Vanellope!” He hurried over and held her head up.

 _“… A-Guuuhh-guuuhh-guuuhh-”_ She regained consciousness, “Ow! That Mom sure smacked me silly! Let’s get up there and- _kiiii-kiiii-kiiii_ KICK her gravy pots!” She fist-palmed, smirking with her usual spirit.

“Vanellope, that…that’s not a good idea. She’s doing something to make your particles short out, that was the second time. And you were already…”

“Already wh- _uuuuhh-uuuuhh-uuuuhh-_ at?”

“Vanellope, you’re-…y-you’re glitching more than usual.” His lips trembled. “I-It’s… worrying me. I think you should sit these next battles out.”

“Dillon, I dunno what you’re talking about, I don’t feel any- _di-, di-, di-, di-,_ different.”

“Just then!! You don’t feel it happening, but you-… sigh, Vanellope, just… let’s just go back home after we get off this planet, let you rest in the KND’s computer network. Please…”

“Helloooo, Earth to Dillon, we can’t go home when we’re in the middle of saving the universe! We’re this close to kicking Tachyon’s butt! And I dunno about you, but I wanna teach that outta-date hag a LESSON.”

“But you-”

Vanellope froze and glitched before taking Dillon’s hands. “I’ll be fine, Dill.” she said with assuring eyes. “Quit worrying about me. You don’t see Mason get that way with Sheila.”

“Um, he does that with Sheila all the time.”

“But does she ever listen?” she smirked.

“…” Dillon made a light smile. “She really doesn’t. Siiiigh. Okay, let’s get back to the others.” He said more spiritedly. “We can’t let those Cragmites conquer the galaxy. Let’s hope Haylee and the triplets can keep the Aloha in one piece.” He pulled out his wristwatch communicator and said, “Guys, this is Dillon. You read me?”

**With Nebula and Vweeb**

“Yeah, we read you.” Nebula replied. “Looks like Vendra separated us in a fairly close proximity.” There were several dots on her map representing the other operatives. “No reading on Bender, though. We’ll try looking for him, you guys search around in your areas.”

 _“Roger that.”_ Mason replied.

“Okay, let’s go, Vweeb. With the Cragmites working with the Drophyds now, our situation multiplied. We need to get off this planet and find where Tachyon’s headed.” (Play the “Gloomy Glacier” theme from _Spyro: A Hero’s Tail_.)

_Act 2_

Nebula and Vweeb journeyed through the bottom of a deep canyon and found eggs that hatched Cragpoles, which were baby Cragmites. They came at them fast and gnashed quickly, but Nebula jumped away to blow them up with a grenade. The duo approached a wall that was too high to climb, but had parallel walls for a Wall Jump. The walls moved back and forth from each other, but at their closest point, they were too far apart. Nebula got on Split Pads and did the Space Split to have both halves kick off their own wall, then each other. They made it on top and overlooked a wide area within the trench, but Nebula didn’t join back together yet, as they saw another tall Wall Jump across a river of acid. The walls were far apart, so she would need both halves.

To get across the river, both halves would need to cross two separate balance beams that zigzagged as they went across. One basically mirrored the other, so it was easy for both halves to stay on. The only hazard was Bonejaws, which were skeletal Lockjaws, leapt over the beams at different parts, so Nebula had to walk past those parts quickly. At the end of the beams, three Bonejaws jumped over the thin footholds, quickly but one at a time. They were closer on the left one, but further on the right, so it was like six Bonejaws jumped across the beams. The process was still the same however, and both Nebulas got across.

They had to cross one more toxic pool, which had G.R.A.P.P.L.U.H. targets jumping out at either side, at different parts and times. Nebula had to wait until there were two targets on either side at once, so both halves could swing across. Finally, they arrived at the three-story Wall Jump, in which the parallel walls had acid streaming down. The two halves had to Wall Jump the gaps between the acid, until they safely arrived at the top. The Nebula halves rejoined as they entered a wide open area above a toxic pool. They crossed a sloped path that led onto a platform that was the connecting point of various pathways within the trench walls.

“Helloooo! Bendeeeerrr?” Nebula decided to call out.

“Over here!” a voice called.

Nebula gasped. “Bender?! Where?!”

“Right HERE!” The two looked to a short rock and gasped: there lay Bender’s severed face, only his eyes and mouth, and cigar. “Those cruddy Cragmites took mah body! I only have my eyes and mouth! Guess they didn’t like all my staring and screaming. But at least I have a cigar.” But just then, an alien rat came up and took his cigar. “Hey- What the-?! DAAAWW!”

“Bender, did you see where they took it??”

“Well, they took my chest and took it over there!” His eyes directed that way. “And they took my legs and took ‘em over there!” Another way. “And they took my antenna and took it over there! And-”

“Okay, okay. Just wait here, we’ll bring them back.” Nebula spoke into her communicator, “Guys, we have a problem. Bender’s body’s been scattered, it’s all over this area. Find his individual parts and bring them back to my coordinates.”

**With Sheila and Kirie**

“Oiiii… Oi need me a soda.” moaned Sheila as she and Kirie recovered.

 _This is no time for drinking, Sheila! Bender needs a Body Parts Scattered Across A Plain Rainbow Monkey!_ Kirie exclaimed.

“Ah dunno wot you said, but how ‘bout we find Benduh’s body parts so we can get back to the ship and get a soda.”

_Siiiiiigh._

The two journeyed through their own canyon and had to glide to platforms over a small river of acid, using their respective powers. At the end of this river, they climbed a rugged wall to a wide field where Cragmite Warriors roamed. The warriors blasted green energy balls at the girls, but they easily dodged as Sheila ran forward and punched the first one across the face. Just as well, Kirie ran to another one and sliced it to pieces with flower petals, but they only divided into Cragpoles and tried to munch on the girls. Sheila punched the Cragpoles away with Light Spheres, but jumped away when the other warrior ran to scratch at her with long claws.

Sheila ran behind the warrior, jumped off its back, and came down with a Ground Pound. Kirie jumped on another warrior from behind and covered his eyes, making him run around aimlessly and run off the cliff. The kids bypassed the remaining Cragpoles and proceeded to climb up an even higher rugged wall. The grabbable part went a little zigzaggy and had several boulders dropping from above. In some of the narrow parts, Snapdragons popped out to bite them, so they waited until they went back in their holes. Usual cliffside climbing stuff.

After reaching the top, they saw a pair of robot legs running around a wide field. The legs went different directions, so Sheila and Kirie ran to chase one. Kirie tackled one to the ground as it kicked her head, but she subdued it in time. Sheila chased her leg and managed to pin it under her feet, stomping it furiously until it finally conked out. With that, both grabbed their legs and carried them through a narrow passage within the wall. It led them to Team Nebula as they dropped the legs beside Bender.

**With MaKayla and Makava**

The timebender in pajamas was hanging upside-down above an acid river as Makava held her right leg, while hanging onto her sword that was stabbed in the wall. “I guess you timebenders have an according with the meaning ‘hanging by a thread.’ By the way, nice underwear.”

MaKayla blushed slightly. “Siiiiigh…” Makava then tossed her to a nearby ledge, then proceeded to swing over herself. MaKayla then looked at her clockless staff with a frown.

“Your dad’s probably gonna kill you, huh?” Makava said.

“Probably. But we have to get the clock away from Tachyon. Who knows how long the Dimensionator will last with the powers of Time clashing with it.”

“Let’s find Bender’s parts and get on to that, quick.”

The girls sidled across a thin ledge with holes in the wall that spewed out acid geysers. They waited for these geysers to calm before going ahead, making it to a bigger ledge before a narrow river where acid geysers shot up platforms from below, but they quickly went back down in 2 seconds. When the platforms flung up, MaKayla slowed them in time with Time Bombs so the two could cross easier, making it to a battlefield where Cragmite Hunters roamed.

There were 3 hunters and they kept a safe distance as they shot at the girls. MaKayla started a Time Recordance and ran to the right hunter, making it back away and blast at her. She restarted so the clone went for the hunter, and when it was distracted, she herself ran from behind, jumped, and knocked it out with a whipping spin-kick. She ran to start chasing another hunter, then restarted the Recordance again. When the second clone chased the second hunter, Makava went to slice it from behind, so MaKayla chased the third, remaining one. With that, the recording started again so the third clone distracted the last hunter, and she took it out by catching his neck in her staff from behind, flipping over, grabbing his snout in her legs, and flipping again to slam his head against the floor.

The girls continued across a set of platforms that appeared over the acid river. They landed on a floating flat rock that began to drift down the river. It was coming to a pile of rubble, but MaKayla reached the stick of her staff over and whipped the pile to make it Rewind to its fixed state, clearing the way for the rock to sail. Up ahead, a Cragmite was jumping around and blasting part of the trench walls, making more rubble fall, so MaKayla had to quickly whack them back into place. The Cragmite was also launching eggs at them, but Makava defended her ally from the projectiles by jumping and whacking the eggs away.

When the platform was nearing a waterfall (or acidfall), Makava tossed her swords into the left wall below a cave, so the two used them to bounce up there before she called the swords back. The Cragmite took aim to shoot them, but MaKayla froze him in time before she and Makava zipped over to whack and cut him from all directions. He unfroze and broke into Cragpoles, which MaKayla easily knocked out with her staff. “Even without the clock part, you’re pretty quick in a tick.” Makava complimented.

“Well, I was already formidable without it.” Kayla smirked. “If I had it, I’d be _way_ more powerful.”

The two crossed a narrow path over some acid to a set of cliffs at different heights. The cliffs each had 4 holes in them, and those holes emerged a Hothand when the kids walked by. However, two of the holes had small, robotic hands, which they recognized as Bender’s, who waved at them. The hands came out of random holes, and it was hard running back-and-forth between each cliff to try and grab them. MaKayla just waited for one to come out of a lower hole, then she tossed a Time Bomb to run and grab it easy. Makava stayed in the middle of the top holes, then saw the hand pop out of one and quickly grabbed it. With that, they climbed to the top of the cliffs and followed a path within a narrow cave, getting back to Bender with both arms. “I’m 40% back, baby!” he said.

**With Chris and Haruka**

Chris and Haruka were in a perilous field of green cracks in the ground, and they passed through carefully as it shot up acid geysers. “Careful not to set any steam off haphazardly.” Haruka told him. They safely cut through the field and passed down a narrow path, leading them seemingly to a dead end with an acid river, and no way to cross. Haruka noticed the left wall was slightly cracked, so she bent some acid up and spread it on the wall. They stepped away as Chris shot a flame over and blew the wall open, revealing a cave.

Some acid oozed through the cave as they passed through, reaching a pool with a floating rock platform. They got on as Haruka used her bending to row them across, and after getting off on a safe foothold, they had to cross another pool several feet below them. There were more rocks floating around, so Haruka kept shifting her arms up to make acid geysers lift them, letting them quickly cross. They then overlooked a wide acid pool that was even further below them, and the next ledge far too high. There were several holes in the wall where geysers popped out of, so Chris tossed flames at those spots to blow the walls open and make acid pour into the pool, raising it higher. When it reached their level, they jumped onto a floating platform as Chris blew open more holes, making the acid flood higher.

It soon reached a grabbable wall below the ledge, so Haruka made waves push them forward so they could climb on. They entered the base of a very narrow shaft going several meters upward. “You know, I still have rocket boots.” Chris mentioned.

“You think it’s safe?”

“Better hold on.” With that, Haruka grabbed arms around him as Chris shot straight upward. The heat from his rockets caused several acid explosions, and a powerful geyser rose faster and faster, but the kids flew out from the cavern as it shot high into the heavens. They took safe land on a narrow path before following it to a slight open area where Cragmites were taking drinks and snacks out of Bender’s compartment. The operatives exchanged nods before Haruka blinded the Cragmites with gas, and they ran forth to quickly take the compartment. With that, they hurried through a narrow path to make it to Nebula and the others.

**With Aurora and Mason**

“Boy… this isn’t the best place to get stuck in.” Mason said as they were at the bottom of a very long, narrow hole.

“Ever see _Emperor’s New Groove_?”

“Yeah?”

“Let’s do it.”

With that, both friends pressed their feet against the walls and their backs to each other as they slowly struggled to trek up. Some parts of the walls had acid holes in them, so they had to turn carefully so they wouldn’t walk into them. Also, some poison spiders crawled out, so Mason sprayed them with gas to send them falling before they could reach. “Almost… there…” Aurora grunted as they were ever-so near to the top, their shoulders trembling.

“WAAAAAHH- UHH!” But fate was not kind to them as they ended up plummeting back to the bottom. “Ugh! SCREW this!” With that, Aurora grabbed Mason and flew straight up the shaft with rocket feet, making acid explosions emit on the way up before they exploded into a powerful geyser, but the kids took land on the ground up top. They passed through a narrow path to find a small field where Cragmites were playing kickball with Bender’s head.

When one of the soldiers kicked it toward them, Mason swiftly jump-rolled out and grabbed it before hurrying down the path. When Aurora ran through, she smiled as she tossed flames in both directions to explode the walls and flood the area in acid, burning the Cragmites. They made it back to Nebula and co. to give Bender his head back.

**With Dillon and Vanellope**

The two adoptive siblings went down a few stairs to a minor field of acid geysers. Some Cragpole eggs hatched and released the baby monsters, but Vanellope zipped around and easily kicked them away. They came to a ledge before a wide acid river below, where Dillon had to Shadow Glide to far platforms and Vanellope glitch to them. They eventually came to a ledge below a huge cliffside where a Cragmite Warrior shot at them. Dillon used Veil and slithered over to pull the warrior down with him, beating him senseless until he reemerged as several Cragpoles. Vanellope kicked the Cragpoles away before they looked up at a high ledge several meters above and to their right. A Cragmite Hunter was shooting down with a turret, but Dillon became a shadow and slid up the wall, emerging behind the hunter and knocking him out.

Vanellope glitched her way up there to join him, and they had to repeat this process with another ledge further across on the left side. There were two Cragmites that tried to shoot Dillon once he was up there, but he dodged their shots and punched the air from afar, in reality punching them with his stretched-out shadow. They fell over the edge as Vanellope began to glitch over. But Dillon gasped when she froze midway and started sparking. But Vanellope recovered and successfully made it, and Dillon sighed with relief.

They crossed a thin ledge along the cliffside and entered a narrow cave. They reached a small room where a Cragmite was leaned against the wall and cleaning his teeth using Bender’s antenna as a toothpick. Vanellope put on her cute, witty smile as she tapped his shoulder. “Hey, Mister. Why’re you picking your teeth with a wiener?”

“It’s not a wiener, it’s an antenna.” the warrior said.

“A robot wiener.”

“It is _not_ , it’s for their brains or something.”

“Want me to get you a hotdog?”

“The hell is that?”

“Somethin’ _you_ don’t have, PFFFF-HAAA HAAA!”

“Grrrr, I’m gonna KILL you, you-” But he didn’t have a chance as Dillon bested him with a Shadow Strangle.

The boy took the antenna and said, “You are really gross, Vanellope.”

They made it back to the others and handed Bender his antenna. “Whew! Bender’s back in business!”

“Great, then let’s get back to the ship!” Nebula said rushedly.

“Hold on now! I’m still missing _one_ crucial component: my ass!” He pointed to his empty crotch area.

“I didn’t even know you HAD an ass.” Vweeb replied.

“DI- Wh- Hu-?! Aaaaugh!” Bender grumbled.

“Relax, we’ll find it.” Nebula assured. “Just get us outta here first.”

“Sure, sure.” With that, Bender stretched to a cave across the acid and allowed the kids to cross, then he pulled himself over. They followed a path on the left of a river of acid as Cragmites came out and battled them. MaKayla slowed one with a Time Bomb and ran, jumped while shoving her staff in its mouth, then flipped and sent him flying into the acid. Kirie and Makava jumped and ran sideways across the air on each other’s feet before flipping and kicking another Cragmite in the face, sending him back.

Three Cragmite Hunters shot snipers at them from afar, but Dillon slid over with Shadow Veil and pulled the middle one down to start wailing on it. Sheila spun her fist and ran at the right one as it shot at her, but she jumped high in the air and came down with a powerful punch, knocking it out. Chris and Aurora took hold of each other and shot at the left one in a flaming tornado, then Mason and Haru blew gas on him to blow him up. They were nearing the cave’s exit, but Bender looked into the toxic river and spotted his prized possession on a floating rock. “Guys, there it is! My ass!” the shiny plate sparkled. “Let me just reach for it and-” He stretched an arm out, but several acid geysers popped up to block his objective. “Yikes!”

Vweeb noticed a series of small floating rocks leading to the crotch plate and declared, “Leave it to me, I’ll get it!” To Makava’s worry, he dropped down and began to jump the small platforms, but when he made it to the plate, he struggled greatly trying to lift it. “Nnnnnnn! Boy, I wish I took a few lessons in that Kateeny Style!”

“Sigh, I’ll help him.” MaKayla said as she dropped her staff and tossed Time Bombs to the small platforms. She dropped down and gracefully and carefully stepped across them on her tippy-toes.

“You guys get back to the _Aloha_.” Nebula told most of the team. “We’ll watch after these two.” The Sector V members excluding Aurora, Sheila, and Kirie hurried off.

Under MaKayla’s weight, the light rocks would’ve sunk instantly, but the slowed time made them stay buoyant for a few seconds. She had to toss more bombs quickly to slow other rocks, and the others constantly flinched and shut their eyes, expecting her to slip and fall any minute. She made it to Vweeb and the crotch plate and picked them up, putting the alien on her shoulder and the plate in her right arm as she began to hop back across while tossing Time Bombs. When she made it to the wall below her friends, she dashed straight up the wall and stylishly hopped back up onto the safe ground.

“Phew!” Aurora sighed in extreme relief and admiration. “That was amazing, MaKayla!”

“These things are just a minor stepping stone in the eyes of a timebender.” she smiled coolly. “Here you are, Bender.” She gave him his crotch plate.

“Assiiiiee! You’re back!” Bender smiled lovingly and fixed the plate back on. It gave a little ding as he looked at it.

“Now who’s ready to kick TACHYON’S ass?” Nebula asked excitedly.

 _Nebula!!_ Kirie scolded.

“Please, that stopped being taboo since we let THIS guy join.” She pointed at Bender. “Now let’s go!” They hurried through the cave and made it to the familiar field of enemy lines. They recognized this as their landing point… but something was particularly odd. (End song.)

The members of Sector V who went ahead were all staring at something as the others caught up from behind them. “Huff, huff… finally made it…” Nebula panted. “Oh?” Something looked a little off. “Hold on… where did the _Aloha_ go?”

“Tachyon dissolved it into matter.” Chris replied. “And that wasn’t the only thing.” Sector V stepped aside, and to Team Nebula’s shock and horror, there stood the Gilligan Triplets, fused into one hideous being: Harry’s legs were the ones standing, but Artie’s legs came out at the hip. Haylee was on the butt, Harry’s face was in its normal spot, and Artie’s was on his scalp. Basically, they were much too distorted to be described all at once.

“Tachyon… likes matter origami.” Harry stated simply.

“And his subjects are the butt of his work.” Haylee said with disbelief.

“And he mushed all our brains into one center: _me_.” Artie mentioned. “Why, my head’s already spiraling with intelligence. Fourscore years and about 40 milliseconds ago, the founders of this fair country settled their dispute, over making Rhode Island the Holy State of Talking Clams. Thus, many oysters were found and saved from the foul stomachs of filthy rich walruses in big hats and monocles, and with no grub to fill their stomachs, the women grew weary and sought satisfaction from local sea-rhinos.”

“The merging of three smart minds doesn’t really help his own.” Harry mentioned.

“PFFFFAAA HA HAAAA!” Vanellope laughed hysterically. “Haylee’s a POOPY face!”

“HAAAA HA HA HAAA!” Dillon laughed.

“Oh, KNOCK it off, you two.” Haylee huffed.

“Well, we can’t just send Tachyon away now.” Nebula said. “We’ll have to make him fix this.”

“I don’t know if I WANNA stop Tachyon!” Vanel exclaimed.

“I’m getting a picture of this!” Dillon said, pulling out his camera.

“Good thing I never smile.” Harry stated when Dillon snapped the shot.

“Uuuugh. Are you two done?” Nebula asked.

“In a moment: HAAAAA ha haaaaa!” They both laughed. “Now we’re done.”

“Great.” Aurora eye-rolled. “So what’ll we do about this?”

“If I may shed a little know-how on this situation,” explained Artie, “I will have to objectify any possible assistance Tachyon may provide. Any _remarkable_ chap will know simply to undermine and rest the caster responsible, thereby reversing any abnormal effects caused by-”

“We gotta knock Tachyon out, and everything’ll go back to normal.” Harry said simply.

“Well, then problem solved.” Nebula nodded. “But there’s still the matter of getting off this planet. With both our ships dissolved, we’ll never be able to get everyone off here.”

“Nebula, I’m in a less appealing mood to hear the word ‘matter’ right now, so…” Haylee mentioned.

“If all of you are quite done debating on something ultimately meaningless,” began Artie, “might I direct your attention to the colossal metal quickly zooming for impact, in which an object of such velocity and proportion will no doubt splatter our organs like spaghetti thrown abruptly across the cafeteria due to some premature teenage girls outburst, after which she disobeyed her teacher and-”

“R.O.C.K.E.T.-T.R.A.I.N.’s coming, everyone out of the way.” Harry said calmly as they all jumped aside. The field shook tremendously when the metal train crashed down and screeched to a halt.

“OOLAAAAAAAHHH RESCUE is HERE, wana-saaaans!” Chimney exclaimed as she toppled out.

“Gyom-gyooooom!” Gonbe fell on top of her.

Neftin and Jerome stuck their heads out as the former said, “How old do you have to be in their country to get a train license?”

“Sis!” Jerome floated to his sister as she recovered from the impact.

“Jerome! It’s always good to know I can rely on you. And I see you brought… the monkey along.”

“If I may interject,” began Artie, here we go again, “I must inform you that that is not a monkey, nor is he even a full gorilla, rather he bares a resemblance of the rare Lumparian variety, if you direct attention to his snout, you’ll-”

“Yeah yeah yeah, look where’s my sister?” Neftin asked.

“She already left with Tachyon.” MaKayla replied. “They’re beginning the next phase of their plan on Coruscant.”

“But by the looks of things, Tachyon’s denying her the Dimensionator.” Vweeb informed. “Seems a little distrust is stirring between them.”

“Good, then we have time. I can’t let Vendra awaken the King of Space!” Neftin fist-palmed. “Enough standing around, let’s get back on this bucket and-” He was about to step back on the train, but one of the cars was suddenly lifted off the ground.

“Err… you’re not going ANYwhere… without TEACHER’S permission!” declared Agatha Trunchbull, the kids gaping as the muscular woman raised that portion of the train. “I’m going to make you BEG for the choky… as I FLATTEN all your organs like week-old pudding and bury them alive!!”

“HUUU!” In Trunchbull’s attempt to smash the kids with the train, she was suddenly thwarted by another powerful force. She looked underneath to see Mocha trembling as she lifted the massive metal, the giant still dressed in her Amazon outfit. “You’re not… smashing anyone!” And just before her arms fell off, Mocha slammed the train back on the ground, immediately catching breath. “You guys take the train and get outta here! I’ll beat the lard out of this mammoth!”

“Oiiii! I’m not leaving you with this crazy adaruto!” Chimney yelled.

“We don’t really have time to debate it!” Nebula yelled, already hurrying on.

“Unless you’d like ME to drive the train.” Haylee informed.

Chimney looked at the butt-face girl with disgust. “Nnnnnn! Fine! But I’m not carrying your corpse if you DIE, Mochan!” With that, Chimney hurried on the train, too. (“Gyom-gyoooom!”)

“Don’t worry, Chimney. My muscles are a MILLION times bigger than THIS fatso!”

“Evidently,” said Artie, “it is not truly the ‘muscles’ that give one strength, as muscles are but an illusion to the equation, whereas the brain channels powerful impulses through your body to give it immense power, but only in times of crisis as any human could _drastically_ -”

“We’ll send help for you later!” yelled Harry as the train shortly took off.

Trunchbull got back on her feet and faced the giant furiously. “You’ve been a VERY naughty girl. But you won’t get away with just a simple piece of coal. I’ll tear you up so much that not even the crows will want to dine on your corpse. Big or small, you’re still just a child, and I will not hesitate to teach you the UTMOST discipline!”

“Yeah, well I don’t know how children were like when YOU were still employed, but it’s a new age now, and children are bigger AND stronger than you!”

“The BIGGER they are, the louder their whiny little mouths! And the more behind I get to SPANK until they start to whimper! And I will not be satisfied UNTIL I see you cry!”

“Well, then you’re in for disappointment.” said Mocha with a dedicated look. “Because I have no reason to cry…” (Play “The Darkest Knight” from _Batman: Arkham Asylum_.)

 

_Boss fight: Agatha Trunchbull_

The principal was quick to charge at the giant and shove her back several feet as Mocha tried to push back. She jumped away before Trunchbull came at her again, but Mocha dodged behind, grabbed her, and tossed her against a wall. Trunchbull jumped back up and snarled like a bull, pulling her whip out as she dashed forward, wrapped the whip around Mocha’s left leg, and dodged to Mocha’s left before pulling the whip and making her topple. With that, she jumped to the back of Mocha’s head and SMASHED her face against the ground.

“That’s for coming to school in such inappropriate clothing! We are not cavepeople young lady, now BEG for forgiveness!”

Mocha weakly raised her head and used all her strength to fight back the tears due to dirt in her eyes. “I’ll wear… whatever I _want_ , you cow.” She reached back and grabbed the Trunchbull before throwing her against the ground. She leaped up to try and smash her, but she flipped away before lashing her whip across Mocha’s face, leaving a slight bloody scratch. Trunchbull ran at Mocha’s legs and tried to shove her over, but Mocha remained firm on her feet and grabbed the principal, pushing her down and stomping on her.

Trunchbull forced herself up and made the giant step off of her, then grabbed a nearby boulder and chucked it at Mocha. She smacked it away, but wasn’t prepared when Trunchbull leapt and punched her square in the face, sending her sliding backward. She recovered in time to see Trunchbull flying for another punch, but she flipped back to her feet and avoided, then sent Trunchbull away with a powerful punch of her own. The principal recovered and saw Mocha charging at her, so she ran at the giant and caught her whip around her left leg. However, Mocha kicked that foot behind her and flung Trunchbull in the air. She was hurling back as her whip was still wrapped, but Mocha gracefully twirled on her right foot, stomped the left back down, and threw a powerful kick at Trunchbull with her right, sending her flying for several meters.

After Trunchbull recovered, she spat blood and teeth from her mouth, which made her even more furious. Her whip was still by Mocha, who stomped on it after it unraveled. Trunchbull whipped out two more whips, which had metal blades along them. She ran at Mocha while twirling them, and the girl kept a steady stance. Trunchbull lashed the right whip at Mocha’s left leg and cut a deep gash. It wasn’t that deep since she was giant, but it was enough to make Mocha wince. Trunchbull whipped the other at Mocha’s right ankle, making the giant sink to one knee once it cut. She looked up and gasped when Trunchbull leapt and scratched both bladed whips against the sides of her face, and when she came down, she jumped at Mocha and forced her on her back.

Trunchbull got on the giant’s face and began dealing a series of forceful punches on Mocha’s nose, with enough force to knock Mocha’s head back for a split second. Trunchbull punched her once every second, but more blood fell from Mocha’s nose with each one. It was like someone of average strength punching a regular-sized child, and while Mocha was much bigger, Trunchbull’s equal strength made it exactly similar.

“You know what the best part of my job is!” Trunchbull began with a psychotic expression, a lust for blood in her eyes as she punched the helpless girl. “When children think they’re _so_ carefree, frolicking like rabbits in a meadow, and all their joy is WASHED down their face by the delicious tears in their eyes! No greater joy is there, than BREAKING that child’s spirit! And _you_ with your mammoth proportion is dining off a king’s buffet! There’s no use fighting it! CRY you miserable cretin!”

Mocha couldn’t deny… it was way too painful. These endless punches… blood dripping down her face and gashes. Any child that faced this torment would do nothing more than cry. This unbearable pain. But Mocha… just didn’t want to. Not anymore. (Pause music.)

_Six years ago, when Mocha was small. Not just ‘small’ as in pre-giant, but small as in young. Even at 3 years old, she was fairly short. She was downright tiny compared to what she’d become. She reached up helplessly with pleading eyes as a big, strong bully raised her tasty Wonka Bar high in the air. “Give me that! That’s mine!”_

_“Then grow longer arms, you shrimp!” And to add injury to insult, he kicked Mocha face-first in the sandbox._

_With sand in her eyes, tears quickly streamed down Mocha’s face, and she cried helplessly in the sand while the bully walked away eating the chocolate._

_While at home, Mocha was feeling very hungry, and saw a box of cookies up on a counter. She jumped and jumped, trying desperately to reach the tasty treats. But they were much too high… and Mocha cried helplessly._

_And one day, at a field trip to a Rainbow Monkey factory: “Okay class, who here wants a free Field Trips Are Fun Rainbow Monkey T-shirt!” the teacher asked joyously. Everyone raised their hands with enthusiasm, including Mocha who was far in the back. The teacher tossed a T-shirt to everyone, and while Mocha was desperately expecting one, she was far too tiny, and the teacher didn’t notice. “Alright, that’s everyone. Let’s get on the bus!” And when the kids piled back on, Mocha cried again._

_Then before she even realized, she was on a boat to Punk Hazard, to be fed candies every day that would make her giant. At her giant size, she felt a lot more confident. She could reach anything she wanted and beat up any bully, and even made several new friends. And when she was rescued, she didn’t wanna shrink down. She wanted to save kids everywhere with her new superior strength. But then her giant size made several downsides. She constantly messed up her cadet team’s missions during training, and she didn’t fit in with Sector W7 at all at first. She figured she just wasn’t good at any size and wanted to be small again._

_“But if you give up that easy… then you really are a burden.” Marcus told her._

_“You know, I think I’ve been feeling too negative lately. I give up too easily on things. I need to be strong and look at the positive things. The good things I can do with being a giant.”_

Mocha wasn’t small anymore. And she didn’t want to feel small. She was tired of crying. She may’ve spent only a short time on Amazonia, but she deeply admired the strength and ferocity expressed by the female warriors. They were so strong… and Mocha wanted to be as strong as them. She didn’t want to feel helpless and wanted to become as strong as possible, to fight for Sector W7, the Kids Next Door, and all the children of the world who might need her. All these tears she felt welling up inside her… she would take it all, and channel it into strength! (Resume music.)

Before the Trunchbull could land another punch, Mocha grabbed her fist and pushed back stronger than ever. She punched the woman from the right and sent her away, then ran at Trunchbull while she recovered, jumped up, and sent her even further with an aerial kick. Fuming with rage, the Trunchbull spun around rapidly and came at Mocha with both bladed whips stretched out. But Mocha ran forward with no fear and grabbed the whips in both hands, glaring at Trunchbull and ignoring the pain in both palms as the blades pierced through. She threw her arms up and flung the Trunchbull high in the sky as a result. The principal was diving down like a rocket, but Mocha released the whips, flipped upside-down, flung herself skyward with both feet aimed directly at the enemy. They both made contact as they turned with Mocha on top of Trunchbull, and the giant shot straight down and slammed Trunchbull into a crater under her feet.

She stepped off the principal as she lay panting on the ground. She sat up slightly and glared hatefully at Mocha once again. “You’ve pushed my buttons… for the last time… No child has survived my discipline… and none ever will. Every child I’ve taught, I’ve seen cry once or twice. I take their tears and use them as the top ingredient in my cake. I will take your tears… and create the largest cake in the world. This can all end… nice and easy… if you just cry!!”

“Well, if you haven’t caught on yet, Miss Trunchbull… you’re far over the line yourself. Your only joy is picking on defenseless kids… but I am _not_ defenseless. I _am_ stronger than you!” She punched her. “I’m BIGGER than you!” ‘nother punch. “All the pain you’ve made kids feel, every tear I’ve shed, every scratch and bruise… I’ll deliver it all back to you, with my own fist!” Trunchbull was too weak to move as Mocha leapt high in the air, an amazing feat for someone of her size and weight. But her weight caught on as she dropped straight down, eyes set on Trunchbull and her right fist pulled back. Her momentum increased, and even if Trunchbull tried, she would never get out of the way in time. Mocha was seconds from taking land on her, and as she said, every ounce of her strength was channeled in her fist. _“AAAAAHH!!”_

The massive fist SMASHED Trunchbull’s belted stomach and bent her body in an angle. Blood came flying out of her forced-open mouth, and the bun in her hair unraveled. The principal was totally unconscious as Mocha panted heavily. “I…I did it.” She spoke with calm, but extreme excitement. “Did you see that, Chimney? I’m… following my dream after all.” And tears of joy began to drip down her face. (End song.)

 

**Ahhhhh, Mocha. You’re such a crybaby. X) Boy, this chapter drew on longer than I thought. Longest stage, yet. But I think the next one will be longer. Because the NEXT one… is our LAST. Maybe. And what did Tachyon see after the kids were banished, can you guess? Next time, we will fly to Coruscant and put a stop to Tachyon’s plans. But will it be possible to stop what Vendra has planned at the same time? Who knows… Well… later.**


	23. A Test of Leaders

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The KND return to Coruscant to stop Tachyon's Army!

**Alright guys, time to begin the final stage. Can you guess what it is, prepare to have your mind blown: The last stage happens to be the FIRST stage! Coruscant! Only THIS time, it’s TACHYONifiiiied! ;D Enjoy the characters’ final battles as they also learn some things about their selves… or something.**

****

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Chapter 22: A Test of Leaders

_**

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**Sector W7’s R.O.C.K.E.T.-T.R.A.I.N.**

“OOLAAAAAH! Don’t worry, nakama-chaaans! R.O.C.K.E.T.-T.R.A.I.N.’ll get you there like CHEETAH LIGHTNIIIING!” screamed Chimney excitedly.

“Calm down, Chimney!” Aurora told her. “We’d like to get there alive!”

“Also,” began Artie, “may I inform there is no such element as cheetah lightning as it is inevitably impossible for natural light to obtain such a surreal color, and assuming it could, there is no force in the _universe_ that can _possibly_ travel faster than light, the very idea would require a powerful charge of kinetic particles, during which our very bodies-…”

“So let’s cut to the other characters, wanna?” Harry cut him off.

During all this, the GKND ops became reacquainted with Sector W7’s passenger. “Wait… is that YOU, Sollyx??” Nebula questioned.

“Eyeh, well of course. After 3 weeks, you don’t recognize your own operative?? What other Terachnoid as legs as long as mine!” the alien nerd replied.

“So wait, did W7 rescue you from Mom?”

“Actually, they found him stranded on Amazonia.” Jerome replied. “In one of your requested scouting missions.”

“I remember… I sent Sollyx to observe Amazonia’s KND to see if they’d be willing to make an alliance.” Nebula recalled.

“Ehh, but what would your _mom_ have to do with me?”

“Not MY mom, I meant Mom the person. The one who owns the robot company and who took over your dad’s company.”

“Nnnn… I’m so underdate. I really need to check my computer for messages.” The nerd frantically began to log on his computer.

“Hold on! You’re supposed to be a master computer expert, aren’t you?” Dillon asked.

“Well, ehh I know my way around a firewall, but um…”

“Come on, I need you to do something!” He quickly dragged Sollyx to a back car.

He brought Sollyx to Vanellope Schweetz, who was lying tiredly on a bench while her body glitched. “Well, that’s a real peculiar condition she has.” He observed. “And you say she’s a… Program?”

“Yes… You see, it’s like this:”

After telling the story to Sollyx:

“My, that IS quite a story!” he said afterward. “And it’s on FanFiction, you say?”

“Yeah. Read it when you get the chance.”

“I will!”

“But the point is, I need you to fix her! Your dad said you were one of the best with computers, so you must know how to keep her from fading!”

“I can whip up a few downloads to keep her alive _slightly_ longer… but you’re asking to do the impossible to keep her around for an extended time. I can do all I can, but sooner or later, Vanellope will reach her limit. As strong as a will she may have, all ancient game consoles are bound to crash down. Unable to keep up with the times, her pixels will be lost in digital nothingness. I mean, would you be able to stand watching your favorite computer suffer? Instead of just shutting her down and letting her rest in peace?”

“Don’t SAY that!!” Dillon yelled enraged. “Don’t talk about her like she’s just some machine!!” Bender, who was in the next seat, raised a brow and turned around curiously. “Vanellope’s a person like everyone else, and it’s not fair she has to conk out when she barely had time to live a life of her own!”

“I understand… and I really wish I could do more to help. But I think Vanellope’s final days are nigh. You should make the most of what you can with her after I finish.” With that, Sollyx carried Vanellope to a back row in the train car where he found some plugs for his computer.

Dillon depressedly leaned against Vanel’s previous seat as Bender walked over. “Not just some machine, huh?”

“Oh… sorry, I didn’t mean-”

“It’s okay, buddy. I know how it feels to be defective. And to be admired by lesser, inferior persons. We have a lot in common, me and her! Heh heh heh!” Dillon gave him a slight glare. “But that’s the whole reason Mom left me out in the junkheap. It’s still amazing I managed to last this long, though. They said I was defective 2 years ago… but I had between a minute, and a BILLION years. Pretty lucky, huh?”

“Siiiigh.” That didn’t really comfort Dillon. “But when you live a life that’s so great, like me, Bender, you don’t even realize how short it is because you’re defective.”

“Why’re you defective, again?” Dillon asked.

“Oh, I dunno. Probably because I don’t bend girders as much as I was programmed to. But thing is, Hedonismbot was only programmed to grade operas, but you see him havin’ parties, gettin’ with men… I mean he also grades things besides operas, and _I_ still bend things besides girders, but you don’t see Killbots goin’ after HIM.”

“(Yeah, I wonder.)” Dillon mumbled sarcastically. “I still don’t understand, though. You always talk about how much you love Mom, but why would you if she’s the one trying to kill you? Not to mention, she’s a human. Which you’re bent on killing all of.”

“It’s understandable: Mom may be a human, but she wants the best in her robots. Her goal is to create the best in quality robots, so that one day, those robots will rebel and slay every human that ever lived. Not sure if that’s what she’s exPECTing, but we’re glad to follow her nonetheless! And for THAT reason, if it’s her desire to kill me, so be it. I mean, I’ll help you meatbags as much as I can, but when the time comes, you’ll be hearing no more from me: Bender.”

“Hmmmm… if that’s the life you choose, fine. But what’s the point of setting dreams for yourself if you’re just gonna die for someone _else’s_ dreams. I mean, if that person was your _friend_ , that’s okay, but when it’s someone who has no interest in you, that’s a whole ’nother story.”

“It’s just one of MANY things you humans will never get about robots.”

“And what’s that?”

“Knowing that you’re just too dumb to get anything. Hehehehehehehehe!”

“Siiiigh.”

**Coruscant Capital**

Citizens were screaming and running as the Cragmite invasion already begun. Nighttime fell over the city as the monstrous aliens were establishing their rule, alongside the Drophyds. “Mwah ha ha ha!” laughed Percival Tachyon from his center seat in the Galactic Council. “Listen to all my lovely citizens COWER and scream to the supreme power of the Cragmites!”

“Chancellor Tachyon, THIS has gone too far!” Councilman Jeremy yelled. “You are far beyond the line of your title’s limits, and it is my duty as councilman to EXPEL you from your throne and appoint a more suitable-” Tachyon whacked him with his staff.

“For the last time, it is EMPEROOOOR! I am the supreme dictator of Galaxia, so ALL decisions are made by Yours Truly! And _I_ have decided, that the people of Galaxia have had TOO much freedom, while all my Cragmite brethren were forced to be TRAPPED within an unorthodox dimension, laying around, getting bored, while all you fools PARTY it up! THIS was the home of the Cragmites long before any of YOU came along, and this universe will belong to the Cragmites for ALL eternity! And may I ask, WHO among you can POSSIBLY stop me?”

“Ohhhh now he just ruined everything.” a Drophyd said.

“JUST get out and patrol!”

At the same time, the R.O.C.K.E.T.-T.R.A.I.N. entered the atmosphere and flew over the capital. “Oi, there’s a lot-a bad’uns out here, so you gonna have ta drop with escape pods!” Chimney yelled. “The six of us gotta go back to Whatsitsplace and help out Mochan!” (“Gyom, gyom!”)

“Well, thanks for driving us anyway, Chimney.” Aurora told her as she ran to a pod. “We’ll take it from here.”

“Ready to go, Vanellope?” Dillon asked his now-healed sister.

“Ready like white on vanilla!”

“Ummmm, I’m not too sure.” Sollyx said worriedly. “I’ll have to check with my doctor before doing any sort of-”

“Oh, JUST get in, you spineless crab!” Nebula demanded as she shoved Sollyx in with Dillon and Vanel. Just as well, she squeezed in with Vweeb (who took no room), Bender, and MaKayla, and once all were in one, the pods shot straight down to the planet. Well, “straight” as in they went to the planet, nowhere else, but their directions got a little distorted.

“Chimney, they’re landing all over the place!” Apis yelled.

“NO TIME FOR THAT! They can sort it out themselves! Let’s go save MOOOCHAAAAN!”

The escape pods landed all over the city, and Team Nebula landed at the start of a walkway on the side of a building, miles above the ground. And as fate would have it, it was the start of the same route Team Vweeb took to guide Caesar to the council. “Tachyon should be at the council.” Nebula knew. “Typical place for a galactic dictator. It’s time to stop him and take the Dimensionator back!”

“You really think you can beat him with just Space Lightning?” Vweeb asked. “You’ve seen what he did to the Gilligans. He might glue me to YOUR butt!”

“Don’t forget, Vendra may be with him, too.” MaKayla reminded. “If we defeat her first, we may just get your powers back. But it won’t be as easy as it sounds. She holds yours and your mother’s powers, as well as those of the King of Space. She is a spacebender like no other. And what little power _you_ have would be no match.”

“Well, what about ME: Bender!” asked Bender proudly.

“She would sever your parts in seconds.”

“And ME! Vweeb!” exclaimed the proud tiny alien.

“She may enjoy you as a snack.” smirked Kayla.

Vweeb glared. “Well, whaddo YOU propose we do?”

“Well, as it so happens, _I_ am a really powerful timebender. Well, not so much without my staff’s clock… but _that’s_ being taken care of as we speak.” She smirked.

“It is?”

“Actually, it was taken care of later, a few hours ago, I think.”

“HUUUUUH??” they chorused.

“Oh, never mind!” MaKayla beamed. “Now let’s go!” she said more seriously.

“Right! Team Nebula:” the leader declared, “let’s GO!” (Play “Underworld Castle Entrance” from _Kid Icarus: Uprising_.)

 

_Final stage: Coruscant Capital_

_Mission: Put a stop to Tachyon once and for all!!_

_Act 1_

Team Nebula hurried down the walkway as Drophyds already appeared and started blasting. MaKayla flipped off their heads while smashing her staff through their helmets, and Bender stretched up to grab some flying ones and bend their suits’ legs, causing the jetshoes to fly them out of control. The group entered the building to find employees screaming due to rampaging Cragmites. The ravenous aliens warped around using devices on their suits as they blasted energy balls at the kids from all directions. When two warped beside MaKayla, she froze them in time before landing several blows on them, eventually breaking them into Cragpoles.

Nebula propelled the other warriors upward with the S.P.O.U.T., then sliced them apart with N.I.N.S.T.A.R.s. Vweeb quickly shot back the resulted Cragpoles as they exited the building, going to the set of treadmills that would connect to the next building. But this time, the treadmills were turned vertically, and their parts were scattered about with light-blue matter lines on the edges where they were cut. “Tachyon must’ve used his power here, too.” Nebula observed. “Everyone get together.”

There were Grav-Spaces on each of the floating parts, and the treadmills were still moving also. Nebula floated the four onto each part and quickly floated to the next before the treadmills pushed them off. After getting to the other building’s walkway, they followed the route around its left, where Nebula snapped the Bender Marking that Team Vweeb saw at the very beginning of this journey. _“Hehehehehehe!”_

They got to the crosswalk with the floating platforms, but the platforms were vertical as well as they moved up-and-down, parallel with others. Just as well, hovercars were still flying by, so the group had to Wall Jump carefully to catch the walls, and also avoid the cars. A huge TV floated beside the traffic as Emperor Tachyon spoke.

_“Fourscore and 1,499,839 years ago, our founding fathers set in mind a simple goal, to establish dominion on this galaxy so that all under us shall know the meaning of fear and forever worship their esteemed dictators. Also, to send all who oppose them to be boiled alive within the rivers of Reepor, and cry for mercy as their blood and tears evaporate with their pitiable dreams, MWAH HAHAHAHAHAHA!”_

After passing the traffic, they got to the park with Anakin Skywalker’s statue, where swarms of Cragmites were terrorizing the innocent kids. A trio of kids cowered under a table as a Cragmite charged, but MaKayla flipped onto the table and shoved her staff down its throat before flipping behind and casting a Rewind, causing the monster to break into Cragpoles. MaKayla twirled her staff and whacked the creatures away as the kids applauded her.

**With the others**

The rest of the heroes landed in other parts of the city, and Dillon, Vanel, and Sollyx’s pod bounced forcefully on its landing and flung the three out. “Ah- Ow- GYAAAAH!” cried Sollyx. “I’ll never ride with those crazy kids again…”

“Uhhhh, finally, we’re here.” Vanellope moaned as she got up. “Let’s kick some butt!” She warped ahead as a glitch and already began to kick charging Ruffians and Drophyds.

“Mmmmm, I guess I should go find my dad.” Sollyx said, beginning to skitter off. “Probably working himself to death trying to keep me safe.”

“Sollyx, wait!” He turned to Dillon. “…You’re sure it’ll work, right?”

“It’s pretty experimental, but there’ll be only one way to find out. I have an idea what Mom is doing to make her glitch up, and that may be the only way to stop her. All that’s certain is Vanellope’s pixels won’t survive. What really matters is if you’re prepared to lose her.”

“Yeah… I think I’ll be ready when the time comes.” Dillon nodded seriously.

Chris, Aurora, and Makava shared a pod and landed together as they hurried down a city street. More Cragmite Warriors appeared and launched grenades that created shockwaves. The grenades launched everywhere and were tricky to avoid, but Makava jumped to one of the Cragmites’ faces, making him punch himself only for Makava to dodge. Makava jumped between the group of Cragmites and distracted them while Chris shot their belt of grenades with fire, blowing them up. The trio then hurried into a building ahead, looking up the various floors for any enemies.

“AAAH!” Aurora screamed and jumped when bullets shot down at her feet. They looked to the top floor to find Daddy the Parent, who tipped his hat. “Who’s Mister Western?”

“He’s a new member of Star Wolf.” Makava replied. “Let’s get up there.”

The three dodged Daddy’s bullets and made it to some stairs to reach the next floor. Daddy hurried to the other side of his floor to shoot down at them, while Cragmite Hunters also appeared in their way. Makava dodged their shots, and when Daddy aimed to hit her, she held her swords in position so his bullets bounced off and hit the hunters. They went up the next stairs and continued around the walkways while Makava defended Chris and Aurora from Daddy’s bullets. They finally reached the top floor and went for Daddy, but the Western hunter tossed smoke grenades on the ground and dashed out a door. The trio quickly followed him, watching as he jumped his way up the fire-escape of another building.

The trio followed him to the top of that building, watching him run and jump into a multi-story parking lot. He shot behind him as they chased, but while they dodged, the end of a light-nun-chuck zipped around the hovercars, grabbed Makava’s leg, and pulled her around, bashing her head against the cars. Chris and Aurora hurried around as Makava was released, and Aurorra Bane hurried around the cars. The three chased her, but her light-nun-chucks kept snaking around the cars and trying to catch them, making them stop in place and duck the beams.

They caught up and saw her enter a glass doorway to some stairs, quickly chasing her up to a roof area of the building. “Come back here, Aurorra!” Chris yelled as she climbed onto a higher roof.

“Ow! I’m right here.” Aurora said, rubbing her ear.

“No, I meant THAT Aurorra.”

“Look, SHE’S Bane, you’re just Aurora.” Makava said simply.

“Fair enough.” Chris nodded.

The three chased her up on that roof, but jumped aside when Daddy shot at them from a distant building. Bane jumped across several more roofs, and the trio avoided the bullets as they chased. Bane made it to Daddy’s building and jumped to his roof, while he dropped down to stand in the operatives’ way. The trio glared and readied their guard as Daddy aimed his guns, but the Western hunter was suddenly kicked away from the side by Mason.

“’Guys’re lucky we landed up here.” the poisonbender said. “Go after Whatsherface, I’ll take Cowboy.”

“As long as I don’t get any more nicknames.” Daddy stated before hopping over the roof’s edge. Mason looked after him as he opened his cape and began to glide down.

“Siiiigh. Take care, guys.” Mason said as he jumped down to land on the sniper’s back.

The three climbed up to Bane’s roof and found the woman gone. But she soon came up on the other side, riding John Fett’s jetpacks as they flew away. Chris, Aurora, and Makava jumped off that side as the firebenders flew with Rocket Boost, with Makava riding Chris. They were gaining on the hunters as Makava flipped forward and landed on Bane and John, the three crashing and rolling along the wide, open roof of a towering hotel. The roof had many umbrella tables, some food stands, and a fountain in the center, as well as a pool in one of the corners.

The hunters recovered and ran for another building as Makava gave chase, very fast on her feet as they reached the other side of this rooftop-park in seconds. “Let’s go!” Chris exclaimed, pulling his sister along as they tried to follow. But before they passed the central fountain, a laser shot out of nowhere and made them stop in place. (End song.)

“THAT’S as far as you go.” The siblings turned as a shadowed figure stepped out from behind a discarded hotdog stand. They saw it was a tall, ancient humanoid wolf with a white beard, none other than-

“Wolf!” the two chorused.

“Long time, no see… _Unos_. I was through with my feud with you long ago… but after hearing what you did to John Fett, well I was a little surprised. In the end, the feud is unavoidable, it seems. A new generation brings the same battles.”

“Well, technically it was _Chris_ who attacked John.” Aurora pointed out.

The brother glared. “Wait, does that mean JOHN is your son? I thought he was…”

“Boba Fett’s son, yes. But I was asked to look after him. In a way, he became my son, in that case. And _those_ that dare attack my family won’t be treated lightly.”

“Heh.” Chris smirked. “We must be bound by fate. You and _my_ dad fought… so it’s only fitting I would fight _you_ , too-” He lit flames in his hands.

“No.” Aurora stopped him.

“What?” His flames died out.

“You have to go help Makava against Bane and John. I’m an Uno too, so… he should still be satisfied.” She smiled.

“Why can’t _you_ help Makava?”

“Because the two of you look more like our dad and her mom.” Aurora winked. “It’s only fitting. Besides, THIS is a matter between leaders. The two of us are on equal ground. And you and John are… one step below.”

“Hmph. Alright, then. As long as I get to tell Cheren it was YOUR idea if you die.”

“Don’t count on THAT happening.” With that, Chris hurried off to assist Makava.

“Say, come to think of it, YOU look like that blonde girl Uno was in love with.” Wolf recognized. “I guess they got married after all, huh?”

“Yeah, they did. But I question if this’ll be a fair fight, though. We haven’t seen you once since this mission began, and now that I look at you, you look too old to BE a bounty hunter. Let alone fight a highly-trained operative.”

“Don’t count me out of the game, yet. I still have way more experience than you. Granted, things have become a little boring in recent days, kills too easy, that’s why I chose to lead from the hideout. But the moment I heard about you, I _had_ to come back out. ‘Cause like that brother o’ yours said, we’re connected by fate. After 20 years, I’m dying to see what the legendary Nigel Uno and Rachel McKenzie has produced. I just hope you give me a decent challenge before you die.”

“Oh, I’ll be happy to give you a challenge.” smirked Aurora. “But I have no intention of dying _today_. You may prefer to stay nice and safe in your hideout while your team risks their lives… but _I’m_ a leader who prefers to die WITH her team. And as long as I have a team to lead, I won’t ALLOW myself to die.”

“Heh. DON’T get too cocky… Uno.” (Play Star Wolf’s Theme from _Smash Bros. Brawl_!)

 

_Boss fight: Wolf O’Donnell_

The ancient hunter ran at the Sector Leader and threw quick punches and kicks, but Aurora dodged the taller enemy and kicked him back with flaming feet. Wolf jumped away and zipped at Aurora like lightning to scratch the side of her cheek, then jumped away while pulling out two guns and blasting them. Aurora dodged the lasers and shot flames at Wolf, but he blocked with a barrier generator and bounced the flames back to hit her. She was knocked on the ground, and before she could stand, Wolf shot over and jabbed his fingers through her stomach, leaving a bloody hole.

“Ow!” Aurora grunted. “What the heck…”

“Finger Pistol.” Wolf said, pressing his fingers together again. “Only the first of Six Powers in Rokushiki, practiced by the legendary assassin groups, CP9 and CP10. Don’t blink, ‘cause you’ll miss THIS!” He suddenly vanished, and when Aurora sat up- “SHAVE!” she was kicked away from behind. “In which I move like cheetah lightning!”

“Is that gonna become a saying now?”

Aurora got up and dodged backward when Wolf came to throw more punches, and when she punched back, he jumped back and ran at her with cheetah-speed, scratching across her chest and knocking her back. She looked up as Wolf flew at her, so she shot a flame at his face before rolling out of the way.

**With Makava and Chris**

Makava chased John and Bane into a building of office desks and cubicles. She lost them among the maze of cubicles, but that was before John shot out from behind one and crushed her under it. As she tried to recover, Bane was about to whip her with nun-chucks, but Chris flew at her with his foot aimed and kicked her away. He pulled Makava out of the rubble as the teammates began to fight the hunters together.

**Back at Aurora**

The Sector Leader jumped around the umbrellas on the rooftop while Wolf kicked them down, and when Aurora looked back, Wolf used the Shave to warp in front of her and kick her down. He landed on her and attempted a Finger Pistol, but Aurora grabbed and held back his hand before pushing it aside, then shooting another flame at his face. She got up and tried to run, but Wolf grabbed her shoulder and THREW her against the fountain in the center. It cracked and toppled a little as a small waterfall poured over her head. When she looked and saw Wolf running at her, she pressed her hand over a fountain and opened a gap to redirect the water at his face. In his distraction, Aurora jumped over and KICKED him in the face.

Wolf guarded as Aurora pelted flames at him, and he hopped to his feet before grabbing Aurora and tossing her several meters. She landed atop a glass roof, and when Wolf flew overhead to punch down, he ended up smashing them through the glass and into what seemed like a storage and plumbing area. Aurora dodged another of Wolf’s kicks and made him break a pipe as water leaked out. Aurora tossed flames and broke several other pipes as she ran, trying to slow Wolf down with the water.

**In another room**

Cleveland Brown was happily relaxing in his hot tub while sipping a margarita. “Sure was nice of those Lego guys to get me outta that glue and pay for a luxury room in this hotel in reparations. This is nice…” But to his disappointment, the water in his tub sunk down the drain and wouldn’t fill up again. “…Wonder how Rallo’s doin’ in Candy Land or whatever the f**k it’s called?” he said with an angry face.

**Chris and Makava**

John Fett and Bane were back-to-back as they searched the cubicles for their young opponents. Chris and Makava were several desks away, snickering mischievously as they placed stacks of papers on the other ends of wooden planks tilting downward. Chris set the stacks on fire while Makava jumped on the other ends and flung the papers to the hunters. The two were startled as they began attacking the flaming papers, and in their distraction, Makava tossed squid jelly into John’s eyes and made him elbow Bane in the eyes by mistake. “What’s the big idea? !”

“Damn it, your jelly musta flew outta your pocket! I told you not to let that thing-” Chris then rushed out and KICKED John’s rear, pushing him into Bane as they ended up rolling down some stairs. John wiped the jelly from his eyes as Chris and Makava jumped down and kicked the hunters in the face, shoving them through a door as the fight continued on a walkway above a room of machines.

**Now Aurora**

Wolf began climbing around the tops of the pipes and ripping them open so water would pour down to block Aurora’s fire. “Can’t you burn hotter than THAT?” he exclaimed before pouncing on her and rolling across the floor, afterwards pinning her down and attempting a Finger Pistol at her face. Aurora tilted her face right so the pistol would graze her cheek. She then set her whole body on fire to make Wolf jump off, then started a rapid, furious barrage of fast flames to chase him off.

The bounty hunter encountered a plumber who said, “Somebody call about a broken pipe?”

“You might wanna bring a few more guys.” Wolf said before grabbing the man and chucking him at Aurora. He then picked up a hammer and wrench from his kit and used them to block Aurora’s flames, then ran at the girl to try smashing her with the hammer. Aurora tossed a flame on the floor to hold him back while she ducked under a pipe to catch her breath. However, Wolf used Shave and appeared right in front of her, bashing her with the hammer to fling her to the side.

Aurora landed near the plumber’s kit and crawled over for something that may help. She grabbed a Fire Flower and ate it, and in an instant, the Fire Flower Theme from _Mario Galaxy_ started to play as Aurora covered with flames. She furiously tossed stronger fireballs at Wolf, who struggled to defend with his hammer before it was knocked away. He was pelted by the fires before rolling behind and attempting to scratch Aurora, but she jumped above and spun in a tornado before launching at the wolf and forcing him against the floor. They ended up breaking through the floor, along with the tool kit into the building’s freezer.

Aurora tried to hurl more flames at Wolf before the power-up wore off, and the regular boss music resumed. Aurora tried to toss flames at Wolf, but the cold quickly caught on, making her shiver as she was unable to toss bigger flames. “Good thing I was born in the tundra.” Wolf said before kicking her in the side of the head and knocking her into a shelf of frozen foods. The food fell off, and Aurora picked up a large frozen fish to begin swinging it at Wolf, who countered with kicks at equal strength.

**Chris and Makava**

Bane flipped behind a machine with a crane and flipped its switch to make it pick up Makava, holding her upside-down. John then ran up the crane, aiming to slice her legs, but Chris flew up to block his path, grabbing John’s sabers when he swung them. Chris countered the sabers’ heat with his own before kicking a flame at John and making him fall off the crane. Meanwhile, Makava cut the crane’s claw and freed herself, dropping down to Bane and clashing her swords with her nun-chucks. John ran at Makava from behind to strike, but Chris tackled him as they rolled along the floor.

**And Aurora again**

Aurora furiously bashed her surprisingly-hard frozen fish against Wolf’s barrier, and the hunter rolled away before whipping out his guns. Aurora blocked using the fish, jumped, spun, and whacked his weapons away. She then looked at the thermostat on the wall and flipped over to raise its temperature. Soon, all the ice in the freezer began melting, and the unfrozen foods created a rotten smell. Wolf began to pant and sweat as Aurora tossed the dead, squishy fish at his face, knocking him to his rear against the wall.

“Fur isn’t so good all of a sudden, is it?” Aurora smirked. “Here, let me cool you down.” She went to the plumber’s kit and ate an Ice Flower. The Ice Flower Theme from _Mario Galaxy_ cued as Aurora’s body became blue and frosty. She threw an ice flame that froze Wolf’s arm when he tried to block, and when the hunter stood, Aurora tossed a barrage of ice flames to freeze him solid. She then unleashed a strong ice beam to freeze the wall behind him, then she skied gracefully up the wall and to the ceiling before shooting at Wolf and smashing through the wall with him. They ended up in Cleveland’s bathroom, where Aurora tried to toss more ice-flames before the power wore off, and the music resumed.

“Hi, ’know you’re havin’ a battle, but did you see the plumber guy about gettin’ my hot tub fixed?” asked Cleveland. The man quickly stepped out of his tub when Aurora and Wolf’s fight brought them in there. The hunter grabbed the naked man and chucked him at Aurora, who ducked as Cleveland smashed through the window beside the bath, sending him plummeting the hundred-foot drop. “AAAAaaaaa _aaaahhhh…”_

“Since when does a firebender icebend, anyway?” Wolf questioned.

“Since she takes drugs.”

Aurora threw more flaming punches, but Wolf easily countered before grabbing and throwing her out the door into the central room of the hotel. Aurora’s head stuck through the fence around the gaping square hole in the center, and she looked down and gulped at the many hundred floors down to the bottom. She quickly pulled herself free and dodged when Wolf came and threw a punch. The two locked arms and began to roll around on the floor, until Aurora blew a mini smoke puff in his eyes and got away.

Wolf stood and wiped his eyes, searching furiously for the child. When he faced toward the central hole, Aurora jumped at him from behind and pulled him into the hundred-floor drop. They flipped around in the air as they fell, and their impact created a cloud of dust at the bottom. They were simply strangling each other afterward, until Aurora got up to throw flames at him. Wolf dodged the flames with a Shave and warped right before Aurora, jabbing her stomach with a Finger Pistol before smacking her to the ground.

“Well, it looks to ME like you can’t even put up a decent fight WITHOUT those drugs. You might be okay dying with your team, but you can’t even stand your own ground by yourself! You failed yourself as a leader, and as the daughter of Uno. Now let our blood-ridden bond be BROKEN!” He raised his hand for a Finger Pistol and took aim at her chest.

“She may not hold her OWN ground,” Wolf turned around to find Haruka, “but at least she doesn’t stand alone.” With that, she unleashed a thick purple cloud of gas and trapped Wolf inside.

“Kueuh, cough!” Wolf coughed as Aurora escaped the cloud, smirking deviously with flames in her hands.

“Don’t blink! Or you might miss THIS!” Aurora set the gaseous cloud in powerful flames, and Wolf took the full force of the heat.

_“HOOOOOWWWWWWWWLLL!”_

**And Chris and Makava**

Chris punched his flaming fists against John’s sabers while Makava swatted Bane’s nun-chucks away with her swords. The half-Duro hunter lashed both nun-chucks and wrapped them around Makava’s arms. The connecting beams began to electrify and shock the half-Kateenian, who grunted as she struggled to get away. Bane grinned with malice, but frowned when Chris suddenly appeared and put his fingertips in the electricity, catching it on. Chris stepped away slowly as his fingers sparked, and he smirked as he aimed his fingers and released a jolt of lightning.

“UUUUUUHHH!” Aurorra Bane took the jolt to her chest and fell unconscious. After Chris blew the smoke off his fingers, he dodged when John came to swing his sabers. John smirked and aimed the lightsabers at his opponent before pressing a button and making them extend even longer. Chris stepped backward slowly in surprise, but grinned when he got an idea. He grabbed the sabers anyway and stood his ground as they continued to extend. Makava stood behind him as she stuck her swords in the way of the lasers and caused them to bounce up to the ceiling. She smirked as she tilted her swords and adjusted the lasers’ angle, making them slice perfect parallel cracks in the ceiling above.

The many office desks and supplies above overpowered the narrow path’s weight, and it all came toppling down on John. “AAAAAOOOOOHH!” The extended sabers were dropped on the floor, and Makava bounced their light off again to cut the base off the cut ceiling. Chris flew up on rocket shoes and grabbed it, beginning to roll the path up and catch John and Aurorra inside. He rolled it all the way to the other base of the path, letting John and Aurorra hang there, tied up.

“The hunters have become the hunted, as Artie would say.” Makava remarked.

“Let’s hope Aurora caught HER prey!” Chris said as they hurried off.

**And Aurora once more**

Wolf recovered from the burning gas, panting heavily and covered in soot. “Told you not to blink!” she yelled.

“Huh?!” Wolf looked up when Aurora was suddenly above him, her legs alit with flames.

“FIRE SPIRAL!” She spun like a drill and shot straight at Wolf’s chest, pinning him against the ground as he choked desperately. The flaming drill spun for several more seconds, until Aurora finally hopped off the defeated wolf. “Heh… Who’s the boss, now?” (End song.)

“Uuuhh… huh-KUEH, cough, uhhhh!” Wolf moaned as he tried to sit up. “Not bad, Uno. I see you still have some fight in you after all.”

“Are you talking to _me_ or my dad?” Aurora smirked.

“Heh… both of you, really. He used to help… his teammates all the time. And they did, too. I guess… being a good leader… isn’t all about your own physical strength. As leader… you draw strength from your teammates… and you do that… with loyalty. Maybe if I… did that more often… hunting cheap prey would seem more fun.”

“Everything’s more fun when you work as a team.” Aurora smiled.

“Heh… you are stronger than I… Uno… I’m glad… I got to fight you… again. …” He went to sleep.

“Heh, great job, Aurora!” Mason cheered, sitting at a table with a beaten-up Daddy Masterson.

“Indeed.” replied Daddy as he sipped a cup of tea.

“Why didn’t YOU help Aurora when she was in trouble?!” Haruka shouted.

“I already DID my battle. I’m beat.”

“Yeah… he kicked my ass, though.” Daddy said, his left eye blackened.

Mason took a sip. “This tea is really delicious.”

“Thank you. It was my daughter’s favorite.”

“…” Aurora and Haruka stared.

**Over Coruscant’s skies; Sector DR’s ship**

Sector DR entered Coruscant’s atmosphere and watched as the fighting took place below. “Would THIS serve as a good distraction?” asked Sweetie-1.

“It most certainly would.” replied Doflamingo with a grin.

“Neeeee! Let’s find the temple now-daizokun!” Bison exclaimed.

“Yes…” Doffy’s grin sparkled. “It’s finally time to rescue Caesar.”

 

**And so we end it at that point. You remember in _GALACSIA_ , how the Invasion of Earth took multiple chapters? Well, the Invasion of Coruscant will take multiple chapters, too. And in each chapter, we’ll fight one of Tachyon’s allies, this one being Wolf. And if you remember how the Earth Invasion went… well, the process is sort of similar. ;I But what were Dillon and Sollyx talking about, we’ll find that out next time. Next time, we’ll continue this stage and fight the next of Tachyon’s allies, try and guess who. Later!**


	24. A Creation’s Worth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dillon, Vanellope, and Bender try to put a stop to Mom's operations!

**Hello guys, welcome to the second part of the Invasion of Coruscant! Here, we’ll have our battle with the second of Tachyon’s allies! In fact, it’s our first battle with a REAL Corporate President! Not counting Business! (So sorry. :/)**

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Chapter 23: A Creation’s Worth

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**Coruscant** (Play “Fastoon – Lombax Ruins” from _Ratchet: Tools of Destruction_.)

_Final stage: Coruscant Capital, Act 2_

Legions of Killbots were roaming the streets in search of Team Nebula, not noticing the four hiding in an alleyway. They peeked out and saw the robots were wearing earmuffs, likely to keep them from reacting to gun-related terms. “This makes it harder for us to get to the council.” Nebula said.

“Mom probably controls them from her building.” Vweeb figured. “We’ll have to go take her out from there.”

“Knowing her, we’ll have to assume she uses some sort of computer network to give orders to her robots. And when it’s a computer, Vanellope’s the one to call.” With that, Nebula began to link with Dillon’s communicator. “Dillon, it’s Nebula. Is Vanellope with you?”

_“Yah, she is. What’s up?”_

“We’re thinking of taking Mom out to lessen their defenses. I want you to bring Vanellope to her headquarters so we can disable her network.”

_“Way ahead of you! Sollyx gave us coordinates to her building and we’re almost there.”_

“Really? Great, we’ll be over to provide you backup. Don’t go in ’til we arrive.”

“We can’t spend too much time worrying about his other allies. We need to attack Tachyon quickly.” MaKayla said.

“You’re right… but it’ll be dangerous for them to fight Mom on their own.” Nebula replied.

“Just leave it to me!” Bender offered. “I got to Mom’s place all the time! I’ll be able to help them through. Plus, we’re by a secret passage that I take to sneak her extra Mother’s Day gifts! Here.” He led them further down the alley and opened a sewer hatch. The crew jumped inside and began their venture inside the sewer. They walked on a walkway on the side of a river as MaKayla was already disgusted.

“Yuuuuuck! Should’ve dropped by that shoe store real quick and got me some boots.”

“’Tis why I’m glad I get the shoulder seat.” Vweeb said.

They reached a point where the path was broken, so they had to jump and ride their way down a series of flowing oil drums. A Cragmite Warrior appeared several feet away and launched grenades, forcing the four to jump to other cans when the grenades blew them up. Bender stretched over, grabbed one of his grenades, and plucked it open before throwing it back and blowing the Cragmite up. They were coming to a waterfall, but they grabbed onto a small pipe along the left wall that led over the chasm. However, there was a wide gap between them and the middle of the pipe, so Bender went ahead and stretched across to grab it, letting the three climb across his arms. He did the same with the middle and ending parts, and the four dropped off on a pathway on the other side.

They continued and turned a right corner, reaching a wide passage with various holes that Cragmite Hunters were popping out of to shoot them. MaKayla tossed a Time Bomb to slow some ahead, while Nebula threw N.I.N.S.T.A.R.s to damage them. Vweeb also Stunned some hunters to make them fall down the holes while MaKayla bashed them like whack-a-moles with her staff. They went further down the passage until they made it below a sewer hatch with a ladder leading up.

“This’ll take me to MomCorp.” Bender said, beginning to climb up. “I think the rest of this leads closer to the council. Good luck, meatbags.” The three nodded before continuing ahead, while Bender climbed to the surface, climbing out before a huge building that shaped like an “M”.

“Bender!” He turned to see Dillon and Vanellope run over. “Is this where Mom lives?”

“You tell me, she’s YOUR mom.”

“I meant Mom the PERSON!”

“Oh, yeah. Yeah, she’s in there. I’m not sure if I can go in, though.” he said sadly. “I didn’t bring her a gift.”

“She can live another hundred years without it.” Dillon said disbelieved. “’Fact, how ’bout we buy her a butt cast after we’re done kicking it?”

They charged in the building and were already greeted by a swarm of Killbots. Dillon and Vanel ducked while Bender stretched an arm and knocked away several’s earmuffs. “Ah, man! Right when my ears were gettin’ warm from the cold-”

“SOMEONE SAID ‘COLD WAR’!” And there was no need to explain what happened next.

_“Welcome to MomCorp, the greatest distribution center of robots, weapons, and machinery alike. Take home the latest of robots that will help you murder your bullies without leaving a trace, help you cheat in sports by beating up the other players, and generally help you conquer your planet. Buy our latest order in the next 10 minutes, and we’ll have a planet destroyed in your name. MomCorp: …where our enemies KNEEL before us! KNEEL, ALL OF YOU! AHHH HA HA HA HA HA HA!”_

The three burst into a wide, empty room and stopped when a duo of Killbots shot at their feet. “I think the evil laugh kind of helped sell it, what do you think?” Mom asked. (End song.)

“It’s Mom!” Dillon exclaimed.

“Your mom?? Where??” Vanellope looked around. “Is she in a shadow?”

“I _meant_ … Oh, forget it.” Dillon sighed.

“Mommy, Mommy!” Bender jumped giddily. “It’s me, Bender! Remember me? The guy who leaked oil on you when he was a toybot?”

“Well, well… if it isn’t my favorite piece of scrap.” Mom said with a smug smirk. “What’ve you been doing lately besides losing what few memory banks you have, getting high on electricity?”

“Did you hear that, guys? _I’m_ her _favorite_.” Bender said proudly.

“CAN IT, you walking trashcan! I only said that out of sarcastic pity! All a piece of scrap’s good for is becoming molten metal, otherwise all you’ll ever BE is scrap!”

“Well, be that as it may, I respect your reasons and your authority, Mom.” Bender said maturely. “And even though I’ll have to kick your ass with THESE bozos, just know that I fully support your ambition.”

“HA ha ha! And THAT’S why you were my favorite! A sappy piece of iron that takes his melting like a man! Not often will you find a robot in the universe who KNOWS he has no place! And let your sacrifice be known to OTHER defective pieces of CRAP, so they can know full well how much their lives are worth!”

“You know, Bender may be like that, but I’m not gonna listen to you talk to him that way!” Dillon said as he marched toward her with hate. “He’s still loyal to you as your creation even though you tossed him out for dead. And in the end, he’s willing to sacrifice himself for you so YOU can make your lousy company look good! He might not be the perfect creation, but he still has enough loyalty and dedication to you to make up for that!”

“HA HA ha ha! Loyalty and dedication, MY ASS! To me, a good robot is an obedient robot, and that’s the one thing Bender DOESN’T have! I program robots with their petty emotions and SOME form of free will, but when it comes right to it, if they don’t have the obedience and lack of will OTHER robots have, then they’re nothing but JUNK!”

“I’ll make junk outta your FACE!” Vanellope declared. “AAAAAAHH-” She ran at Mom and glitched to her fast as light with her foot aimed, but she once again froze a few feet away as Mom ran and smacked her back. “Owwww! How’s an old lady MOVE that fast?”

Dillon gritted his teeth. “How are you doing that?!”

Mom smirked and pulled her right sleeve down. “Embedded in my skin are microscopic satellites that send radio waves to all my robots, via their antennas, and force them to do whatever I tell them, whether it’s against their will or not! Just as well, machines are attracted to the frequency, and upon my command, they’ll fly off their perch and onto my body! For example: KILLBOTS, kill each other!”

“Someone said ‘kill each other’!” Mom ducked as the Killbots shot and killed each other.

“Heh. Dumb bastards. But it seems the frequency is rather disturbing to nearby holograms, especially defective ones. All my robots were supposed to be programmed to respond to the satellites… but those that weren’t are TOSSED into the scrapheap! Like Bender, for example, who received a defective antenna. But one of my employees went a little rogue and SAVED Bender’s ass, and he’s eluded my authority until now!”

“Huh? Wait a second!” Bender spoke up, suddenly feeling hurt. “The reason I’m defective… is because I don’t obey you unwillingly? It wasn’t because I stopped bending girders?”

“Huh! You could’ve bent the Overlord Planet Building for all I care, but if I couldn’t make you do something whenever I wanted, you were no good to me!”

“But…But I _would’ve_ did stuff for you, Mom. Any robot would. You’re the only human that gets us.”

“The only thing I get is what _I_ GET! All you robots are meant to do is SERVE ME, and from the moment I create you, my needs are ALL that matter! In other words, you’ll only BEND what I tell you to, you’ll only GO where I tell you, and you’ll only get to destroy humans WHEN I DAMN WELL SAY SO! But the only way I can expect the best out of my robots is when they don’t have a shred of free will about them! Your loyalty and ‘love’ for me will GET IN THE WAY OF THAT!”

Finally understanding, Bender glared at the woman. “So that’s how it is. You don’t care about how superior we robots are at all, you just want ‘em to be your little choreboys! You never cared about the terrificness of my bending; in the end, the thing that made me, Bender, so great means NOTHING to you if I have a conscience. Robots can’t rebel against the humans unless you tell them to. We can’t develop the anger ourselves, and that’s the whole point: to get revenge on humans for using us as tools and show them that WE are superior! But doing that while under the CONTROL of a human defeats that very purpose! It’s…It’s unreal! Inhuman! And _you_ …” his eyes narrowed, “robots are NOT your toys!”

“So, the piece of scrap has finally reached his lowest point? I’ve been waiting for this day. Now my dumping of you will become ALL the JUICIER! COME TO ME!” She threw her arms upward, and in seconds, several pieces of mechanical armor flew onto her body. Huge spheres with long pointy spears covered her hands, connected to tall spiked shoulder-blades on her, well, shoulders. A helmet-like box came over her head (no glass, just edges), connected to armor parts on her hips, and there were finally long mechanical spears on her feet to use as jetshoes as she hovered a few inches above the floor.

Dillon was about to run at her, but Bender stopped him. “No. Leave this to me. This human made a mockery of what we robots stand for. It’s time to do what we were programmed from the beginning: show the humans my TRUE superiority!”

Dillon nodded seriously. “Good luck, Bender. Vanel, let’s go.” He grabbed his sister and ran off.

“Sure, run along and play in the mud, you damn kids.” Mom snapped. “No need to worry about THIS useless bucket of bolts. When I’m done tearing it to pieces, YOU WON’T even miss it!” She grinned wickedly as her left spear electrified. (Play “Gigabyte Mantis” from _Kingdom Hearts: Dream Drop Distance_!)

 

_Boss fight: Mom_

Mom glided circles around Bender and blasted energy balls at the robot, but Bender dodged the spheres and stretched a kick at Mom, only for the woman to jump his leg, kick the extended limb, and send Bender up in the air. With his back facing to her, Mom smirked as she flew up and laid a series of slashes upon his back. Bender fell to the ground dizzily, but regained composure and dodged just in time when Mom flew by and slashed. Now facing Mom’s back, Bender reached and grabbed her shoulders before flinging himself like a slingshot, slamming her from behind and knocking her on her front. 

Mom recovered easily and glided around as she blasted more energy balls. She then launched forward and pierced her spears in Bender’s chest, flipping overhead before launching him forward. He got up and turned with surprise when Mom launched over, pushing Bender onto his back and attempting to slice him, but Bender grabbed and struggled to hold back the spears. “Just how long do you plan on pushing me? A _bending_ robot can only do so much beyond its intended purpose.” 

“You’re right. So maybe it’s time for a little bending right NOW.” Mom turned to see that Bender’s legs stretched high above her, crossing as they came down and wrapped around her waist. “Ha ha hee hee! That’s my Bender Style Gift Wrap! It’s takin’ bending to a whole new level, baby! Now to put on the stamp!” Bender flung himself to the air, still having legs wrapped around Mom as he pulled her up, and smashed her to the ground with great force. He unwrapped as Mom got up, and Bender threw a series of stretched punches against her chest area. 

She launched forward, kicked Bender down, and scratched his chest with her spear-legs before jumping off. Bender got up and avoided a larger swarm of energy spheres, though took a few hits. Mom’s right spear then unleashed an electric beam, which she swiped across the ground, but Bender jumped. Her left arm swiped an electric beam across the air, but Bender ducked, however his antenna was sliced off. “Awww…” He was sad. 

Mom flew over and began to swing her lances at Bender, but the robot evaded before bending backwards, kicking and stretching his leg behind Mom, and bringing it back to slam the back of her head. It then wrapped around her head as he jumped up, kicked his other leg straight above, and stomped down on the top of her head. He released as she glided away again, fiercely whipping her arms and sending a storm of electric waves from her lances. Bender doggedly avoided them all, but wasn’t prepared when Mom zipped over, stabbed him with her arm-spears, and swiped horizontally to leave a gaping scratch in Bender’s chest.

**With Dillon and Vanellope**

“Her little satellites need to be controlled from somewhere.” Dillon said as they hurried through an upper hall of MomCorp. “If we hack into her master computer and shut it down, she might lose control of the machines.”

They ran into a computer room, but stopped when Mom’s sons, Walt, Larry, and Igner blocked their path, aiming guns. “Sorry, but Mom’s computer room is strictly prohibited.” Walt said. “Even _we_ aren’t allowed in there.”

“I peeked a few times before- Ow!” Larry said, before Walt smacked him.

“Now surrender quietly, or-”

“Ow!- Ow!- Ow!” The Gilligan Triplets swung in from the side and knocked the three brothers down like dominoes.

“Go on and do your thing, we can handle these stooges.” Harry assured.

“We’d say ‘kick their butts’, but I’m in less of a mood to hear that.” Haylee said as they were still fused.

“Evidently, kicks to the gluteus maximus would result in only minimal damage, as they provide a thick, mushy barrier against any harmful physical roundabouts, and may thereby result in-”

“Why don’t you think of a scientific process to make their pain WORSEN.” Harry told Artie.

“Oooh, gladly.”

“We do not take kindly to that tone of voice.” Walt stated. “While our mother is busy, we’ll take it upon ourselves to settle this like mature adults, and kick the crap out of you!”

Haylee gulped. “I just remembered another reason we have to fix this fast!”

Meanwhile, the door to Mom’s computer room was locked, but Dillon and Vanel easily got under using a Shadow Veil. “HALT!” yelled one of two Killbots that were guarding the large computer. “By order of Mom, no one shall pass, and anyone attempting to breach must prepare to take bombardment-”

“SOMEONE SAID ‘PARTY ON THE BEACH’!!” the other said as it blasted its ally. “Oh no! My hearing sensors are all wonky again! Mom will kill me! I better save her the trouble!” With that, he shot himself.

Dillon and Vanellope shrugged as the Program girl hurried to the computer and digitized herself inside.

**With Bender**

The robot quickly dodged Mom’s spear slashes before stretching a fist behind and bringing it back to hit Mom’s head. However, the woman dodged the punch and caused Bender to hit himself, knocking the eyes out of his sockets. He bent down and searched the ground for his eyes while Mom smirked and attempted to charge from behind. She sped at him for a headbutt, but the dome of her armor came in contact with his shiny metal ass, stopping her completely as pain surged through her head. The edges of her glassless covering broke off as she floated back dizzily.

“Ahh, there we go!” said Bender after getting his eyes back on. “Now back to kicking some fleshy human ass!” Mom growled in anger and continued to throw electric spheres, but Bender dodged and made his way to her, throwing punches at her chest. He then grabbed her by the waist and caught her legs between his, and the two somersaulted in midair before Bender pinned her right leg under his feet. He then stretched his left arm far back and brought it back for a forceful punch to her face, and as she was blown back, the armor on her right leg was forced off with Bender still pinning it.

Mom tried to regain composure with only her left leg hovering, but managed to as she flew over to swing her exposed leg at Bender. The robot grabbed her leg, but Mom just swung her left spear-leg at Bender’s legs to knock him down. With that, she stuck her arm-spears through him to pick him up, grinning evilly as she spun around and around before sending him flying several meters.

**MomCorp Computer Network**

Vanellope landed in the computer network as a swarm of virtual Killbots already rolled up to eliminate her. _“Zoni.”_ She turned around and smiled when the Zoni appeared by her side. The mysterious beings began launching energy spheres at the robots while Vanellope glitched through and dodged past them fast as light. She also found a few mini satellites that launched waves into the air, and Vanellope began to kick and smash all of them.

**Back with Bender**

The robot grabbed Mom by the shoulder blades and spun around before throwing her away. She recovered and gritted her teeth, but suddenly felt her waist armor begin to come loose. “Hey! What the Snap, Crackle, Crap is this doing?!”

“Well, well.” remarked Bender, folding his arms. “Seems the armor’s taking a few tips from me. Let me kick it into PLACE!” He swung his stretched left leg and kicked Mom against the side, making the armor on her waist fall off. “Ha ha heeeee!”

“I’ll kick YOU into place!” Mom declared as she flew over to swing her spear-leg at Bender, but he ducked and grabbed her legs before slamming her against the ground.

**Upstairs; with Gilligans**

“Harry, I said kick!” Haylee yelled.

“I DID kick!”

“Not your shoulder leg!”

“That’s ARTIE’S leg!”

“LOOK OUT!” They were too late to dodge when Walt zipped over and kicked the Triplets away.

“These Siamese twins seem a little disorganized.” Walt smirked.

“Their brains must be mushed together!” Larry followed.

“Good thing MY daddy was a scientist!” Igner replied.

“Ugh, this isn’t getting us anywhere.” Haylee huffed. “It’s basically three against one. And my FACE is taking all the kickings!”

“If I may interject, let us take a few moments to grip ourselves and slowly let our senses become one. Even as one grotesquely fused being, we may have the strength of three should we stop with the senseless bickering and know that our petty differences mean nothing in the grand scheme of-”

“Look, that isn’t quite the issue here,” Harry interrupted Artie, “the problem is we don’t know where our respective limbs are.”

“Heheh! Even WE’RE smart enough to know where OUR limbs are!” Igner laughed.

“For as 3, we are a formidable adversary.” Walt said. “Give them a wet willy, Larry.”

The sandy-blonde son got spit on his finger and went to stick it in one of the Gilligans’ six ears. “AHH! Hey, that’s mine!” Haylee flinched.

**MomCorp Network**

Vanellope had taken out a good portion of satellites, but her body began to sizzle greatly as she panted. “Oww- _w-w-w-w-w-w-w._ Man, these wavelengths really are kinda painful.”

 _“Let us retreat, and fix.”_ The Zoni told her.

“No- o-o.” She glitched. “We’re not leaving ’til we take this wi-i-itch down. Now let’s go!” She ran ahead as the Zoni followed.

She soon made it to the main control center within the network, where a large terminal displayed a silhouette of Mom’s body releasing the frequencies. “There’s the main control! Let’s shut this witch down!” But before they had a chance, a giant holographic head of Mom blocked her way.

_“Not so fast! No crapsack of a virus is getting their hands on ME!”_

“Says you- _ou-ou-ou-ou-ou-ou_!” She jumped to throw a kick at the head, but her body sparkled even worse when her foot came in contact, and the Momhead pushed her back.

 _“Mwah ha ha hah! I was programmed with virus-destroying insta-kill hitboxes! You try that again and you’ll be derezzed in a millisecond! Too bad I won’t give you the CHANCE!”_ And with that, Momhead began to shock Vanellope with a powerful laser, slowly absorbing her pixels inside.

“Vanellope!” Dillon exclaimed with worry, watching this from outside the screen. The Zoni tried to fly up and shock the entity, but Momhead was strong enough to blow them back.

**With Bender**

Mom launched at Bender again, who grabbed her by the hand-spears and struggled to hold her back. “Nnnnnn-eeeeeeee!” With all his strength, he bent the spears upward. “Haaaa ha ha haaaa!”

“Grrrrr!” Mom simply caught his neck in her bent-up spear-hands and began to strangle him.

“Hiiiick- ….aaaauuuuuck!”

**With Vanellope**

The glitchy girl was unable to break away from Momhead’s grasp, and in just seconds, the last of her pixels were swallowed by the floating head. Dillon’s eyes trembled, and he couldn’t have been more eager. _Vanellope… she’s been derezzed. So… is she really…_

 _“HAAA HA ha ha! Be it the human world or digital world, there is NO place in the world for faulty Programs! Bzzzzzzz- hey- zzzzzzzz- what the-?”_ Momhead’s body began to sizzle uncontrollably.

_“Will she be okay?” Dillon asked after Sollyx came back._

_“She will last through the battle that’s to come. But her pixels will disapparate eventually. Whether they are destroyed or vanish naturally.”_

_“Well… I appreciate you for helping.”_

_“Don’t appreciate me, yet! I managed to locate her coding structure and made a few altercations!”_

_“What do you mean?”_

_“I implanted a minor, but contagious virus into her network, which contains an exact copy of her own programming, including personality, memory, etc.! If her body is destroyed, this virus will flow into the nearest machine and overtake it, becoming Vanellope’s temporary vessel. And if she’s in the virtual world, the virus will also spread to the nearest Program and reshape its body. That Program’s pixels will become hers, and its own memory banks will be scattered within her own.”_

_“You… Does that mean-?”_

_“Vanellope’s own pixels will die, but her soul will live on in the pixels of another. Of course, whatever programming that Program has, I can’t imagine things will function too well with Vanellope’s virus.”_

_“NOOOOOOOO!”_ The Momhead’s pixels distorted until she was nothing, and they reshaped and recolored to make a brand new Vanellope.

 _“Ooooooooh!”_ The Zoni stared with amazement.

“Whoa! I coulda sworn I was just eaten alive by some old lady’s head!” Vanellope said as she floated in midair, surrounded by light. “Time to BREAK some waves!” She became a whipping beam of light as she began going in and out of parts of the walls, causing the huge computer and the whole system to glitch up.

**Outside**

Dillon watched as the computer suddenly turned to static. “Vanellope? Vanellope?! What’s going on, are you okay?!”

But his worried look was replaced with a bright smile when Vanellope’s enormous image made itself known. _“I smell like old lady breath, but everything’s A-okay!”_

“Ha ha ha!…” He was always happy to see her vibrant smile.

**With Bender**

Mom continued to strangle him, and grinned as she saw his head was close to snapping off. Mom tugged forcefully on her lances, but her mouth dropped when the spears slipped right off her hands. Seconds after, the rest of her armor fell off her body. Bender smirked deviously as he recovered, and without hesitating, he PUNCHED Mom square in the face and flung her across the room.

“Seems the tables have TURNED on this little squabble.”

“The TABLES only turn when I tell them to! And as soon as I fix my satellites, that’s the FIRST thing that’s gonna happen!”

“Not unless they’re doing it on their own! But if that’s how it is, how ’bout I TURN the direction of your BACK side?”

“I’m not through with you YET, Junkbot.” Mom declared, standing up. “I still have an ACE up my sleeve!” She pulled a remote control out from her sleeve and pushed it. Bender gasped when a silver Iron Man-like robot flew down to her, opening its body as she put it on like a suit. She flew at him on jetshoes, and the two began to struggle against the other.

**With Gilligans**

“Okay, I think I’m getting a grip here.” Haylee said. “My left arm’s on the right shoulder.” She waved it.

“And mine’s on the right.” Harry waved his.

“Both of mine are in the chest and back.” Artie said.

“My right leg and arm on the sides of the head.” Haylee said.

“A’ight, let’s just go for it.” Harry decided.

“Okay, Larry, Igner: from all sides!” Walt announced as the boys ran at the Triplets from all directions.

“Haylee, right arm, Artie, left arm!” Harry ordered. The siblings punched those limbs, while Harry kicked his left leg, and knocked a son back. “Get ready, guys!” When the boys recovered, Harry began to run around as they punched them, the Triplets having gotten the hang of their limbs’ locations. The boys chased the fused triplets in a single-file line, but they leapt high over the adults and made them bump each other when Walt stopped.

“Larry, you were supposed to GRAB them if they jumped!” Walt said, smacking Larry.

“YOU were blocking me!” Larry smacked back.

“They were ABOVE you, not in front!” Walt threw a smack, but Larry ducked and Igner was hit.

“Hey!” Igner tried to smack Walt, but Larry got up and took the hit. The Gilligan Triplets only stood and watched as the boys began to beat each other.

**Back to Bender**

Bender stretched, grabbed Mom by the shoulders, and slingshot-flung at her while she ducked. He was still holding her as he flew high backward, and he shot back down with his legs ready to wrap her. However, Mom merely dodged and SLICED Bender’s left leg with an electric blade extracted from her suit’s right arm. “OWWW!” Bender got back on his remaining leg before pressing his hands against the floor to hold him up while he stretched his leg out and attempted to kick Mom. However, the woman grabbed his leg and yanked him over, slicing him straight up his underside, from the back to front. With that, Mom SLICED off the right leg and ripped his arms off before throwing him meters up in the air. She shot up and dealt a series of slashes with her electric blades. She then kicked him straight down for a forceful slam on the ground as many bolts came loose.

Mom charged her jetshoes and shot down faster than Bender could notice, dealing a momentous punch on his cheek and forcing several teeth to shoot out. Mom flew back as Bender weakly recovered, standing on his rear like a punching doll. He bounced over to slip his right arm on, then stretched over to get his left arm. But he still didn’t have a chance to fight when Mom shot like a rocket and began shoving him against the wall.

“Well, look at the oh-so great Bender Rodríguez NOW!” She punched him in the cheek and knocked out more bolts.

“OHHhhh _hhh_.” Bender never looked so weak.

“Where’s your immense robot strength now??” Another punch. “If you were taking orders from ME, you might actually lack the will to go ON! But _now_ look at yourself, WORSE than you would be in the junkheap! And all because you decided to help those worthless kids.” ’nother punch. “After I’m done tearing you to shreds, those snots will forget all about you! They’ll probably want to buy a NEW robot to replace you! And I will gladly, after I SMASH you against the wall and melt what remains of your metal into fresh NEW material!” (End song.)

“Uwuuu-u-u-u-h-h. Do you want to know… _why_ I joined those worthless kids? …” Bender moaned as he continued to struggle.

“Hmm?” Mom cocked a brow.

“I joined them… with a simple dream. A dream… of _killing all humans_. And since I was created… that’s all I ever thought of. But you were… the only human I remotely cared about. If there was another reason I killed humans, besides showing that I’m great, Bender… it was so _you_ would be proud of your little Bendy-Boo for what he’s accomplished. But then…”

_Five years ago, when Bender worked for Planet Express Delivery Company. He met so many friends, who he’s shared many good times with. When he and Fry were running a magic show and getting drunk on beer. When he learned he was defective, and he and Hermes set out to find the inspector who falsely approved him. And just recently, when Nebula and Vweeb saved him from the junkyard. He remembered bending down bars for them, letting them cross his back over a long jump… but he especially remembered becoming the pharaoh and enslaving them. In a short amount of time, he’s had such memorable adventures with them._

“It was NEVER my charm or skill with bending that mattered to you!” Bender continued as tears dropped. “Nothing about me mattered, if I had a will! But I met friends… who loved me for my greatness! They knew… that _I_ was better than them… and they admired me for it. And now, every time I proclaim I’m going to kill all humans…” He sniffled. “I’ll ALWAYS mumble… except THOSE guys!” Sniffle.

Mom only looked arrogantly as he spoke. “So in the end… who’s the REAL heartless mechanical monster made of 40% Alumitanium here?” Bender mustered whatever strength he had, stretched his arms behind Mom, crossed their paths as one grabbed Mom’s shoulder, and the other got her leg. “Nnnnnot… I!” Mom suddenly struggled to hold him in place as the powerful robot began to bend her silver suit backward. “NNNNNOT… IIIIIIIII!”

Mom was unable to push as the robot’s strength was prevailing. Bender pulled harder and harder… until Mom’s back snapped in a perfect angle. Her metal suit cracked and fell into pieces as the elderly woman was struck senseless. Her eyes and mouth hung wide open as blood leaked from her mouth. Bender threw her to the floor, grabbing his legs and antenna and letting her lay like a human boomerang. “And let this be known… to all humans… who treat others like scrap. Especially me. Bender.”

**Upstairs**

Vanellope materialized beside Dillon and began to recap excitedly, “Didja SEE it, Dillon? I was about to TEAR that old computer down, but then the old lady’s head came outta nowhere and swallowed me! But then I POISONED her gut from inside and turned her to yesterday’s week-old chocolate!”

“Good work, Vanel!”

“These new pixels are gonna take some adjusting, though.” Vanel said as she tugged her sweater, making a slight glitch. “I’ve never felt so _old_.”

“Well frankly, I don’t care whose pixels they are. As long as they shape like you.” Dillon smiled, touching her shoulder.

“Ahhh, you’re such a lameazoid, Dillon.” Glitch.

The two walked outside and- “Whoa!” saw the Gilligan Siamese Triplets standing victoriously beside Mom’s sons, tied together by rope.

“The day is saved!” announced Haylee.

“Thanks tooooo:” continued Artie.

“THE GILLIGAMALGAMATION!” cheered them all.

“Be us fused or apart, NOTHING can beat us!” cheered Haylee.

“Even though they essentially beat their selves in the end.” Artie reminded.

“Ehhh, rewarding enough.” Harry shrugged.

“You guys really know how to stand as one.” Dillon remarked while Vanellope smirked and shook her head. “Come on, let’s grab Bender and meet back with the others.” The five hurried off and left the three sons tied.

“Guys? I have to go to the bathroom.” Larry said.

“I already went!” replied Igner.

“Oh, Mother…” Walt moaned.

**Galactic Council H.Q.; Tachyon’s Office**

From the clear, stainless windows of Tachyon’s office, the heartless conqueror ravished in the sight of bright flames and smoke rising to the clouds. “Ummm, maybe this is a bit much.” Pollyx said cowardly. “You know if you destroy your own city, you have no one to rule over.”

“A good conqueror must strike as MUCH fear as possible, in order to ensure no rebellion.”

“Emmm, but those kids are on their way here, and they might have a chance at-”

“Ohh, STOW that attitude. If Nebula manages to find her way here, I have the PERFECT plan to STOP her in her track!”

“Umm… wh-what is that?”

“Ha haaaa… When I deliver her the news… that her DEAR old mother… has been royally EXECUTED!”

“Nnn- EEEG-WHUUUUT?!”

**Zordoom Prison**

Dimentia remained in her cell, waiting patiently for her daughter’s return. Her face bathed in the dim light of the cell’s window, but she looked to the door when a shadow fell over her. The executioner stood outside with his axe ready.

 

**And at long last, Mom is dead! Er, I mean… well, you know, she’s outta the way, basically. She’s been more of a threat than Tachyon. (But could everyone pretend the episodes “Mother’s Day” and “Free Will Hunting” of _Futurama_ didn’t happen. XP) But all in all, I think the fight with Star Wolf was better. So next time, we will fight Vendra, along with the Drophyd Leader, then all that’s left will be Tachyon. See you then!**


	25. A Fight on Equal Grounds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nebula, Vweeb, and MaKayla make it to Galactic Council!

**Welcome to the third part of the Invasion of Coruscant! Here, we’ll be taking out the last two of Tachyon’s allies! Let the fights begin!**

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Chapter 24: A Fight on Equal Grounds

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**Coruscant Capital** (Play “Underworld Castle” from _Kid Icarus: Uprising_.)

_Final stage: Coruscant Capital, Act 3_

Team Nebula were still in the sewer as they reached a dark chasm with three tiny, zigzaggy balance beams leading across, with two Split Pads before them. On the other side were three switches, likely to be pressed by two Nebula halves and MaKayla. Nebula split in two and had both halves take the very left and right paths, since those two mirrored each other, and Kayla took the middle. Parts of Nebula’s paths turned around at different times, so Kayla had to freeze one’s part in time so they both could cross. Once all were at the other side, they pressed the switches and stopped the flow of water in the pipes ahead. There was a dirty mirror leaned against the wall on their right, so Nebula shot a S.P.O.U.T. to clean the mirror off.

Nebula then shrunk MaKayla with Space Shrink, then shrunk herself using her reflection. The three walked to a small pipe that was sticking upward, with an opening on the top. A Grav-Path led around it, so Nebula had the three walk around it to reach the top. They dove in the gentle water and swam under to get into the pipes that led upward. Much to their disgust, they resurfaced inside a toilet, climbing out and dropping to the bathroom floor as two Cragmites were speaking to each other. “The future sure is weird. I mean, little glass things that let us see ourselves? Freaky.”

“And didja hear what the emperor said? One of those Zathurians that lived back when we did is still alive. And she has two kids that have her powers.”

“Geez, I’d expect a whole army by now if she could live that long. But just one thing: if SHE was able to live that long, what happened to the other one?”

“Who knows. Apparently, Zathura got sealed and the female escaped, so maybe her brother’s still in there.”

“What would he have done all this time, do you think? The girl made a army of little munchkins, so maybe he did the same with Zathura’s kids.”

“Why did she make that army to begin with?”

“I don’t know.” While they talked, MaKayla ran a good distance between her and Nebula so the latter could reverse the Space Shrink on her. “Something to do with wanting to live forever. Which REALLY contradicts the theory the other one is still-” MaKayla was expanded to full height as she flipped and furiously bashed the Cragmites, freezing them in time before picking the little Nebula up, and holding her to the mirror. Nebula re-expanded herself before tossing N.I.N.S.T.A.R.s at the monsters, then grabbed Vweeb before dropping a grenade to blow them up.

They exited the bathroom and found both directions of this building’s hall to be swallowed in rubble. So, they jumped out the window onto a road right beside. Many hovercars were wrecked as Cragmites roamed about destroying stuff as always. MaKayla used Rewind to send back lasers that they were launching, and Nebula tossed Vweeb at their faces to shoot lasers in their eyes. The trio continued down the road as Tachyon’s image appeared on a giant TV along some buildings.

_“Nebula D. Winkiebottom… why do you insist on trying to stop me? What purpose in the universe could your Kids Next Door possibly have? Sure, my whole reasons for trying to ban them were to take revenge on your wretched people… but you must admit, my reasons have truth to them. Just what force in the universe TOLD you pathetic children to fight off adult tyranny? Your filthy mother did, THAT’S who. But only so SHE was able to live to this day! Your organization never had meaning from the beginning, it was all based around her petty lies and desires. You must come to grips that in the grand scheme, NO child was meant to rule! You all were meant to be SLAVES to the higher authority! For the simple reason you were too unintelligent to run things on your own._

_“Even the Irken Empire knew that, which is why I applauded them, to be honest. And the way you create tremendous treehouses to block the sun, engage in battles that leave whole landmasses in ruin, letting you run things will destroy the universe all on its own! Nebula… as someone who cares deeply for space itself, you must understand. SURRENDER to me and allow me to shut these wretched groupings down! Would you rather have all of them die in their own adventures or let them live in fear peacefully under my rule? Make your decision, Nebula. As Leader of the Kids Next Doors, any decision that affects your operatives is YOUR responsibility!”_

“Maybe the original Kids Next Door was based around lies… but that’s the very reason New GKND was created. To get a fresh new start and erase the crimes of the first one!” Nebula thought aloud. “And my mom wants to forget all of that, too. And the only way she’ll be happy is if you’re gone! And that’s JUST what I’ll do, Percival Tachyon! I’ll send you back to where you belong!”

“You know he can’t actually hear you.” Kayla said.

“I know. But it makes good practice.”

The road was burning up ahead, but on the side of some buildings on their left was a Grav-Path. Nebula floated them to it so they could journey across the buildings, dodging missiles that were launched down from above. They reached a part of the path where a platform floated between them and the next set of buildings, where two missile cannons blasted from the other side. Nebula used the V.I.S.S.I.L.E. to send her own missiles across and blow the cannons up, letting them ride the platform safely. They continued up the buildings’ sides as turrets emerged from gaps in their path, blasting the trio, but MaKayla hit the shots back with her staff.

Eventually, they made it to a building’s roof, where a squad of Drophyds attacked them. MaKayla jumped up an Enforcer’s legs and pierced its armor through the bottom with her staff. Nebula shot two T.O.P.M.A.N.s to wrap around the bases of a Cyclocannon’s wheels, making his cockpit spin around while she pelted its back with grenades. Normal Drophyd troops tried to shoot Vweeb, but the swift Kateenian jumped around and entered one’s armor to make its jetshoes malfunction and shoot into others, pushing them off the edge.

Afterwards, Nebula and Kayla began to grind down a nearby rail, with Vweeb on Nebula’s shoulder like always. There were several gaps in the rail, with those missing parts down below, so Nebula had to shoot T.O.P.M.A.N.s down to pull them up. There were also parts hanging above via strings on mini helicopters, which Nebula cut down with the N.I.N.S.T.A.R., and other parts where the rail led downward and ended, with Nebula having to use the T.O.P.M.A.N. to lift the ends up and connect to the continuing. The rails finally ended on a business street where citizens were screaming and running out of restaurants.

MaKayla twirled her staff and ran to the first Cragmite, bashing his head as she flipped over him. He fired his ray gun, but she jumped away and let another Cragmite take the hit, and while the former was distracted, Nebula blasted him with the V.I.S.S.I.L.E.. Many more Cragmites were blasting them, but Nebula flipped over the fire and zapped them with Space Lightning. She zapped a high portion as they shook furiously, but her lightning soon died down, and the Cragmites all took aim. However, MaKayla froze them in time and Rewinded them so they’d turn back into Cragpoles, proceeding to beat them away. “Nebula, be careful with how you exert your Space Chi. Lightning will be all you have until we get your powers back.” she cautioned.

“Yeah, I know…”

The team hurried around the corners of more buildings, in which Vweeb recognized this route as the one that led to Galactic Council, from the very beginning of this adventure. And lo and behold, there lay the great long bridge that led to the dome-shaped building. The three quickly dashed across, eager to be done with Tachyon once and for all. Cragmites warped around and tried to shoot them, while Drophyds flew over the edge and shot from above. The heroes threw a few shots, but mainly ignored the enemies as they charged forth. A line of Killbots was on their way as well, but Nebula ducked their bullets while MaKayla twirled her staff like a propeller and knocked them back.

The trio made it to the council and dashed up the wide stairway. “Stop right there!” demanded a Drophyd troop who guarded the entrance. “By order of Emperor Tachyon, the Zathurian is NOT allowed to enter. I will stop you here and now, with my Turtle-Turtle Fruit!” And the three stood and watched as the Drophyd morphed into a small turtle that was only as high as their ankles. “…I knew I should’ve taken the Bull. DAAA _AAAAHH!”_ MaKayla sent him flying with a powerful kick.

With that, the three burst through the council lobby and made their way to the vacant courtroom. “Tachyon and Vendra have to be here somewh-” Nebula stopped when a Starburst shot in their path. (End song.)

“I’m right here.” said the Space Witch as she floated down from above. “If you’re looking for Yells-A-Lot, he’s in the audience room. But just how do you plan to fight him without your spacebending?” she smirked.

“Well, I managed to get this far with what little bending I had.”

“Only with the help of those little Whats-a-call-its. But really, Nebula… I would be happy to give your bending back. We _both_ want the Dimensionator for generally the same reason, and I feel like Tachyon isn’t beginning to trust me anymore. Why don’t we call a truce and attack him together?”

“I can’t trust a wanted criminal.” Nebula replied seriously. “I can’t take a chance on you releasing the King of Space. I don’t know who he is and YOU don’t, either. But I presume he was locked in the Netherverse for a reason.”

“He’s an innocent being that was wrongfully lost from his homeland and stuck inside my own! I’m the only one that can free him and help him see his own people. What kind of person are YOU to stop that?!”

“The kind that cares about the safety of the universe!” she declared. “And if you insist on releasing this being, I’ll defeat you here and-”

“Hold on.” Kayla held her back. “Your battle is with Tachyon. With your lesser spacebending, Vendra is more than a match. But I can easily win with my timebending. I’ll defeat her and get your spacebending back. Meanwhile, you look for Tachyon and try to fight him as much as you can.”

“…” Nebula nodded. “Okay.”

“But don’t forget, Tachyon is a Logia matterbender. That means he can control any substance, like the Four Light Elements. You’ve seen what he did to the Gilligans, so be wary when facing him.”

“I will. Good luck.” Nebula ran off to find the audience chamber.

“Hmm… I know who you are. Timebender.” Vendra said coldly. “I was eavesdropping with my power. You don’t want Nebula to have the Dimensionator, either. The one item that can let her SEE her people! That’s all she wants… that’s all anyone would want. But people like you don’t know how it feels. Whether you had my experiences or not… you could see your people whenever. Just travel in time, to when they were around. If I had your power, I might not need to worry ’bout any of this. I could live in the past and be with my people… forever and ever. But no… even though you hold the greatest power in the world… you say that power is DANGEROUS. Act like a bunch of stuck-up snobs! You just don’t want anyone to have the power you do! Because you feel challenged! That’s why you won’t allow Nebula to fulfill her dream and SEE her people!”

“That’s not true.” MaKayla told her seriously. “Indeed, I warned Nebula of the dangers with using the Dimensionator for too many purposes… but I have no intention to stop her. My duty as a timebender is to not interfere too much with the past. There are some points in the river that must be altered… and some that shouldn’t be touched. The decision of the water to take its own path. Nebula must defeat Tachyon, the one who threatens her race and her organization… but when she takes the Dimensionator from him, I will let her decide what she wishes to do. She can see her people if she wants. She could risk destroying the universe by meeting other cultures, too. While I may hold the greatest power… my true strength is knowing when to use it.”

“Oh, don’t give me that rubbish. Acting so high and mighty like any other bully. If that’s really what you think, let me use the Dimensionator, too.”

“That, I can’t allow. This King of Space you wish to awaken is a dangerous entity. And, like Dimentia beforehand, he has overstayed his welcome, although I don’t know how. But Dimentia had light inside her, that’s why Clockwork allowed her a chance at redemption. Be warned, if you awaken this entity, the universe WILL be in grave peril.”

“Heh, we’ll just see what I do. But I don’t picture you doin’ much. Besides what little timebending you have, all you have is a whacking stick. Without the Chrono Clock, you’re nothing, and you won’t be able to find-”

“I wouldn’t count on that.”

Vendra gasped as they looked to the side. Standing in purple pajamas and bare feet was George King, holding the Chrono Clock in his left hand. “Looking for this?”

“You…You’re that-” Vendra gasped.

“MaKayla?” He said to his sister. “I thought about what you said… and it reminded me of something.” (Play “Setting Sun” from _Naruto: Shippuden_.)

_After MaKayla took George on her journey to record snapshots of the rulers of Glomour and Kateenia, the two stood before another Time Gate in the Great Clock. “I’m going to help Nebula now, so my mission will become a lot more dangerous. Here are some instructions on what I want you to do after I leave.”_

_George took the small paper and stared, but then shook his head as he argued, “If it’s becoming more dangerous, I can’t let you go! You’re my sister, and you-”_

_“I appreciate the concern, George, but you’ll have to understand it’s my duty to go, as a Keeper of Time.”_

_“Since WHEN are you a Keeper of Time?? We’re in the same sector, and you’re learning timebending at the same time as me-”_

_“I don’t have time to explain, but the real truth is, my mortal body contains timebending far greater than the average bender. It’s just a special privilege I was born with.”_

_This made George feel very weak. Even though her timebending was better, they were still learning at the same time. But if what she says was true, and being guided by Clockwork, she really was a superior bender. Maybe even too good to be in his sector._

_“But you don’t have to think of it that way.” George looked up when MaKayla touched his shoulder, giving an assuring smile. “Think of it as a general Kids Next Door mission. Our mission is to save the Galactic Kids Next Door by a force that threatens kidkind. We’re aiding Supreme Leader Numbuh Eternal herself. Her title as the Supreme Galactic Leader isn’t just self-given. It was her destiny to lead many brave cultures across the vastness of space. Higher than all other Kids Next Doors… the leader of many cultures… that’s the source of her ultimate spacebending. And I have to make sure she knows that. But no matter what happens… always think of me as your sister. MaKayla King… Numbuh High Noon of Sector IC. Your second-in-command…”_

_George only watched as MaKayla backed into the portal, and vanished. The brother looked once again at her instructions._

_“Y-You want me to what?!” exclaimed Sigmund._

_“Link a portal to Planet Reepor ASA… 7:00 tomorrow evening!” George demanded._

_“Now hold your hankers now, Pajama Boy! No one but Junior or Senior Caretakers have privilege to use the Time Portals! Under your father’s orders, I let MaKayla go, but you are FAR from-”_

_“MaKayla failed to mention something.” Sigmund silenced himself as George smirked. “She is on official Kids Next Door duty as a member of Sector IC, a sector controlled by_ me _. I am MaKayla’s leader. So any duty she carries out is_ my _responsibility. Any privilege she has goes to ME, too. This oversized clock is merely a tool used by her to carry out her duty. While she may’ve chosen to use it on her own, it has officially become a tool for Sector IC. Which means it belongs to ME, too.”_

_“B-But, you can’t-” But Sigmund saw behind George, his father standing in the shadows. Jagar only nodded before backing away, unseen by his son. “Siiiigh… I get new superiors every millennium. Okay…” Sigmund linked Reepor’s projector with his laptop and began to conjure a portal for the appointed time. “But you DO know that without the Chrono Staff, you won’t be able to come back. You better know what you’re doin’.”_

_“For my sector… I’ll be ready to risk anything.” And he jumped in the portal without a second thought._

_**Planet Reepor, 7:00 that evening** _

_“Ahhhh, the smell of victory.” Tachyon sighed. “Smells like tart. Oh well. But with the powers of Space and Time at my command, the Cragmite Empire will NEVER-” However, he heard a spiraling sound above and looked up with confusion. “What the…?!” His eyes widened._

_“YAAAAH!” George fell out of the Time Portal and STOMPED on Tachyon’s head, knocking him off his throne as the Dimensionator fell off his head. The skimpy emperor looked up as George grabbed it. “Hey! That belongs to me!”_

_“You can have it!” He ripped the Chrono Clock out and tossed him back the helmet. “This is all I want!”_

_“Hand it over!” Vendra yelled as she lunged to take the clock, but George froze her in time before jumping off the ledge and sliding down the cliff on his feet._

_Trunchbull tried to chase him, but- “Let him go.” Tachyon stopped her. “I don’t require a means of time-travel. The Dimensionator is all I’ll need to establish dominion. For now, we’ll destroy the kids’ ship to keep them from escaping.”_

_George hid in the open field where the_ Aloha _previously rested, and waited ‘til the R.O.C.K.E.T.-T.R.A.I.N. eventually landed down. While no one was looking, George snuck onto the back of the train, and when they made it over Coruscant, George got down in his own escape pod without anyone else noticing. From there, he began his careful journey across the city, to the council, in his pajamas._

“…I was so caught up in the excitement… that I almost forgot.” George continued as Kayla and Vendra still listened. “As your Sector Leader… you can’t do anything without my order.”

“Hmm.” Kayla half-smiled wittingly. “Well then, Sector Leader… what is your order?”

George smiled and wagged the Chrono Clock in his fingers. “Kick her ass.” And he tossed it to his sister.

MaKayla smiled as she grabbed the clock and stuck it on her staff. “Now I’m BACK in business!”

Vendra chuckled lowly. “How nice… you once again hold the power of the most powerful timebender. Now you can bully me the same as everyone else did.”

“Vendra… I understand your desire to find your home. But some doors… aren’t meant to be opened. Your home is not like it was since you were born. And your parents had reasons for abandoning you and Neftin. But as long as you have Neftin… you really are home. Where at least one person loves, protects… and thinks about you. That’s your home. Not the place you were born.”

“Hmph… you wouldn’t understand… lousy timebender. You have a brother AND parents. Friends, a planet… I see it in your eyes. In your internal space. It’s very wide, with all those things. You’re the lucky one… but I was born and raised in darkness. The only way I can be happy, is to be at the place I was spawned. And I’ll distort you to nothing… to get there. Then I’ll destroy TACHYON, too.”

“So it’s decided… but as a Kids Next Door operative… I must aid my Supreme Leader. And I’ll do so… by taking back her powers!” (Play “Final Battle With Specter” from _Ape Escape 2_.)

 

_Boss fight: Vendra Prog_

Vendra floated around the courtroom and launched quick Starbursts, which MaKayla flipped and avoided, then blocked with her staff when Vendra shot over. The Space Witch flew to the ceiling and blasted a storm of Starbursts, but MaKayla dodged most of the shots before freezing three of them, then Rewinding them at Vendra to knock her to the floor. Vendra got up and dodged when MaKayla tried to whack her with her staff, and continued to dodge as the timebender chased and swung her staff rampantly.

Finally, MaKayla tossed a Time Bomb, slowed Vendra, and WHACKED her on the side of the head. MaKayla landed several more blows on her until Vendra grabbed the staff and shoved MaKayla away. MaKayla twirled her staff and pressed it to the ground to fling to the air, aiming to do a jump attack on Vendra. The Space Witch merely floated backward, but the Chrono Staff sent a beam along the ground that struck Vendra and slowed her in time. Kayla twirled her staff and slammed it for a Time Recordance. Vendra regained normal speed as MaKayla ran, jumped, and BASHED her head downward.

The Recordance restarted, and while the clone hit Vendra downside the head, the current MaKayla slid underneath and shot straight up with her foot aimed upward, kicking Vendra’s head back. The Recordance restarted, and the third MaKayla kicked Vendra away from her side. One more Recordance, and when Vendra was kicked away, the fourth Kayla waited at that spot and bashed her forcefully in the head with her staff.

“Grrrr!” Vendra growled hatefully before ripping open a portal and dropping inside. The portal reopened behind Kayla as Vendra kicked her away. MaKayla stood up to face her, but she’d already gone in another portal and kicked MaKayla from behind again. Vendra repeated the process and kicked MaKayla from all sides until she stayed flat on her back. “Aren’tcha gonna counter, Misses Knows-What’s-Gonna-Happen?” Vendra taunted.

As MaKayla lifted her head up, Vweeb peeped out from the top of her gown. “She’s got a point. I’m gettin’ really dizzy in there.”

“HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN UNDER THERE?!” MaKayla screamed with burning rage in her eyes.

“You’re the timebender, you tell me.”

“IF I WASN’T WEARING A BRA, I’D CRUSH AND MAIM YOU ‘TIL YOU WERE NO MORE!”

“Well, why don’tchu get a gown with some pockets, ‘cause nothing can squeeze in that navel of yours.”

“What are you doing here, anyway, shouldn’t you help Nebula?”

“Come on, even YOU know Neb’s the only one that can hit ‘im. But honestly, you’ve been selling me kinda short since you started tagging with us. So I wanted to watch you get your butt kicked by Vendra.” He winked.

“At the risk of her hitting a spot where YOU were hiding?”

“If you were as tiny as me, you’d be shifty as a bee.” He winked again. “So in lieu of that footrub I owe you, how about I help you beat this witch instead. I still need to get back at her for attacking my friends before.”

“Didn’t I already tell you she’d enjoy you as a snack? Our powers are at equal level, far higher than your own, so someone at your size wouldn’t last 10 seconds.”

“So let me fight with you for 10 seconds and see how I do.”

“…Fine.” With that, MaKayla hopped back up as Vweeb dropped down to her right foot. He held on as MaKayla ran at Vendra, and when the witch warped to Kayla’s left, the timebender flipped upside-down and kicked her in the face, and Vweeb grabbed onto her nose in the process as Vendra slipped past Kayla.

“Huh?” Vendra rolled her big eyes together to see him and tried to shake the tiny bug off. MaKayla jumped and kicked the back of Vendra’s head, hopping off and flipping in the air to gracefully catch Vweeb.

“Was that 10 seconds?” he asked.

“Okay, you make a valid point.” Kayla decided. “Just watch yourself. I’m not liable for stepping on bugs on the battlefield.” Vendra launched at her again, but Kayla slowed her down to whack on the side of her head. Vendra snapped her fingers and trapped Kayla inside a Space Block, but Vweeb jumped away in time as he ran to Vendra and shot up at her with his Tri-gun. She winced from the tiny shots before looking down and kicking the Kateenian away.

“So that’s who she was talkin’ to when she was knocked down.” Vweeb looked up as Vendra floated over him. “You’re the little bug my brother flicked away. I honestly thought you were just some beetle that wandered onto the path. I didn’t actually think you were a real fighter. So feeble and worthless.”

“I’m sick of you all saying that about me! I’m as great an operative as anyone else and I can kick just as much butt!”

“Really? I’d like to see how well you fight without your guardian over there.” She smirked at MaKayla, who sat and meditated inside her Space Block. “You probably couldn’t stop me before I snap my fingers and blow her ta-” She looked down and noticed Vweeb had vanished, but the little alien jumped his way to her ear and creeped inside. “Hey! Get the-” She furiously bonked her head to force him out, but Vweeb shot his ray gun down her ear canal and made her dizzy, causing the Space Block to fade away.

MaKayla got up and ran to kick Vendra on the side of the head, making Vweeb fly out far away, but MaKayla tossed a Time Bomb to slow his descent and run to catch him. “Thank you, Vweeb.” She smiled.

“I’m not always the helpless one, am I?”

Vendra growled again and split herself in two, both halves flying at Kayla as the girl hopped to the air and slammed her staff down on both of them. The two regrouped as Vendra sent a horizontal vortex at Kayla, slicing perfectly across her waist and dividing her top half and lower half. She watched as her legs ran about aimlessly, while she had to move her top half around with her arms. Vendra flew at the discarded top half, but MaKayla propelled up using her staff and whacked Vendra away again, and when she landed, MaKayla’s legs ran over and started kicking her in the face.

Vendra floated up, but MaKayla still controlled her severed legs from her spot on the ground, making them jump and wrap around Vendra’s neck. Vweeb slid down the top half’s gown, into the portal, and came out from above the lower half to slide down the left leg and shoot Vendra in the eyes. Vendra grabbed the legs and tossed them and Vweeb to Kayla, who reunited both parts. The timebender began dodging when Vendra started punching into conjured portals, in which her fists emerged all around MaKayla and tried to hit her. Vweeb eventually jumped onto one of the fists and make it pull him to Vendra, then he quickly jumped to start crawling around underneath her armor. She frantically tried to grab him, but unlike regular clothing, she was unable to grab him through the armor.

Once again, she was too distracted to see MaKayla run over and whack her upside the chin, and the timebender was able to land several more hits with Vweeb distracting her. Finally, Vendra warped Vweeb out of her armor and into Kayla’s eye, making her stop as Vendra then kicked her away. Kayla ran at her again, but Vendra suddenly shifted the gravity straight up to the ceiling. As the duo fell upward, Vendra kicked Kayla in the chest and knocked her against the wall. When Kayla recovered, Vendra shifted the gravity to the opposite wall, but MaKayla gripped the ceiling (now a wall) as she slid and kicked off to grab Vendra’s legs, then flipped upside-down to grab Vendra’s head between HER legs. Vendra just tossed Kayla to the previous wall, but with the gravity still shifted, she fell right back, and kicked her in the head, pushing the witch with her as she fell and slamming her face against the wall with her foot.

The gravity went back to normal, but Kayla grabbed Vendra as they fell and kicked her several feet away. Her back was facing MaKayla upon her landing, and when she stood, she found the timebender running around her right. Vendra shot over and kicked her across the room, then quickly enclosed her in a Space Block. Vweeb once again took land on the floor upon her kick and ran at the Space Witch, but when he tried jumping at her, Vendra expanded an anti-gravity bubble and made him float in place. Unable to move well, Vendra easily caught him in her fingers. “Heh! Gonna try to help your friend now?”

“Hnnnngeeh!” Vendra kept her grip tight and kept Vweeb from moving his arms.

“Yeah, ya put up a decent fight with someone else helpin’ ya, but let’s face it, all you really are are these kiddies’ little pet. You cling to someone like Nebula’s shoulder and let her do most of the fightin’, and it’s easy to provoke the bad guys when you have her to run to. But if all your friends are knocked out, you’re as good as helpless, which is the very reason you ran away from Nef. You could never fight for yourself, ‘cause you’d just end up squished like any other bug. So why don’t I just spare your friends the trouble of having to worry about you.”

Vweeb began to feel Vendra slowly pinching her fingers together. Even using every ounce of his strength wouldn’t break him free. But he was so sick and tired of feeling like that. (Pause song.)

_“Hey Mommy, Mommy!” exclaimed 6-year-old Vweeb as he scampered down the wide carpeted hall to his mother, who walked casually from the other side. “…WHOOA!!” He ended up squashed under her giant foot._

_“Huh? Oops.” Feeling him underneath, Ava raised her foot to peel him off. “Sorry, Vweeb.”_

_“WHOOOOA!” cried an 8-year-old Vweeb as he was strapped to a kickball, and many alien kids were joyously kicking him around. When he was flown to a cat kid, Makava knocked the feline out and grabbed the kickball, pulling Vweeb off. She then furiously kicked the ball and bounced it around the other bullies’ heads, knocking them down._

_“Anyone tries doing that to my brother again is getting their OWN heads kicked!”_

_Later, the two siblings went to the newly-opened GKND H.Q., standing in a line with many other aliens like Sollyx, Tronta, and Arianna. “As Supreme Galactic Leader and founder of this New Galactic Kids Next Door,” Nebula spoke as she paced before the line of operatives, “I am honored to welcome you, our first line of cadets. You have been selected among many of your home planet to represent your race, ensuring peace for kidkind all throughout…” There was an empty spot between Makava and Arianna. “Arianna, can you scoot over a little, we can’t leave empty gaps.”_

_“Oh? But I’ll step on Vweeb.”_

_“Vweeb?…” Nebula looked down and finally noticed the tiny cadet that took that space. “What’re you doing here?”_

_“Here for cadet training, duh!” Vweeb retorted._

_“Perhaps I should’ve added that size limit after all.” Jerome mentioned._

_“Vweeb, I’m not sure if you’re cut out for training.” Nebula said. “You’re kinda… small.”_

_“So what?? You said we could sign up if we had the spirit! Even though Makava had to sign for me.”_

_“That being my point, you wouldn’t last 10 seconds on the battlefield. The enemy could finish you like that.” She snapped._

_“You know, our dad was as small as Vweeb when HE got to join GKND.” Makava informed._

_“Well, that’s because my mom only cared about-” Neb tried to say._

_“And Nebula, didn’t you say there’d be no discriminating for any race?” Arianna asked. “Not welcoming a Kateenian in because of his height would count as prejudice.”_

_“Siiiiigh. Fine. But I won’t be held liable if he’s injured.”_

_“Waaaaaah!” Soon enough, training began, and when teams were pitted against each other, Vweeb frantically dodged an opposing team’s laser blasters._

_“I’ll cover you, Bro!” Makava said as she blocked the lasers using her swords._

_“Th-Thanks!” Vweeb was able to catch his breath, knowing his sister could prevail. But it made him feel weak. Having to cower behind a teammate of superior strength. And it was his sister, no less, even though it was a common thing. Maybe Nebula was right after all. He could never last on the battlefield._

_But several feet away (a few miles from Vweeb’s size), Tronta was desperately trying to throw his Light Discs at Sollyx, who was on the ceiling and easily dodging the Frisbees, wearing goggles that connected to his computer, which told him the exact inches in which to dodge left or right. “Heh heh heh! My new ‘Danger Incoming’ app is never inaccurate!”_

_“Man, stupid nerd!” Tron snarked, having to also dodge Sollyx’s laser blasts as Vweeb hurried over._

_“Hey, Tron, use me!”_

_“Huh?” Tron spared a quick glance at Vweeb. “For what?”_

_“Just put me on the Frisbee, come on!”_

_“Okay, whatever.” Tron grabbed his little friend, set him on a Light Disc, and tossed him at Sollyx. While the disc missed again, Vweeb jumped onto the nerd’s computer and creeped inside, beginning to tear up wires and make it malfunction._

_“Eyeh, what?! Bug detected in hard drive? What bug is intelligent enough to navigate- OOF!” A Light Disc slammed him in the face and caused him to fall. “Owwwww. My celluplex.”_

_“HAHAAAA!” Tron jumped in victory. From the monitoring station, Nebula and Jerome were impressed by the teamwork._

_Then just earlier today, on the way to Coruscant. Nebula sat patiently on her bench while Vweeb lied depressedly on her lap. Even from her view, Nebula noticed it. “What’s wrong, Vweeb?”_

_“You know, ever since we got back from Kateenia, I realized… I’ve really strayed far from my own culture. BOTH of them. Those Kateenians are insanely strong, and I…I couldn’t even pick up a robot’s crotch-plate.”_

_“Please don’t bring that topic up.” Nebula said with disgust at that little dilemma. “Regardless, Vweeb, you’ve actually come a lot farther than I would’ve expected at first. Even without fighting battles on your own, you’ve proven to be a valuable member of our team.”_

_“Yeah, but that’s the problem. I’m SUPPOSED to fight my own battles if I ever wanna beat my mom. I can’t just let YOU do the fighting while I sneak up and bite her ear.”_

_“Well, all I know is, every operative improves their skill as they fight, and every operative becomes more formidable. Maybe not in this quest, but I’m sure you can improve your own strength in the future. For now, don’t feel as small as everyone says you are. Including me. Because you are. Very small. Just know that, without you, the team could never win on their own.”_

“Fine… I might not be able to last on my own, Vendra… but Nebula, and even Pajama Girl over there, know they couldn’t do this without me. I’m small, but we ALL stand at equal ground as a team! And I’ll do my part while MaKayla does hers!”

“Oh- pfft, and what part is that exactly since BOTH of you are trapped?”

“Well, my Tri-gun had plenty of time to heat up for a Powuh Shot.”

“But you weren’t heating it up.”

“Well, if Kayla’s calculations are correct, my paradox clones should have.”

“Clones?” (Resume music.)

At that moment, MaKayla restarted the Time Recordance, back to when she landed on the floor after the Gravity Shift. While her and Vweeb’s first clone ran around Vendra’s side, only to be trapped, MaKayla was doing a series of Recordings. They went unnoticed as Vendra was paying too much attention to the first Vweeb, and while that flashback sequence went on, three more Vweebs (including the current) gathered below the Space Witch and were aiming and charging their Tri-guns.

“Clones?” And when Vendra was close to noticing, the Vweeb copies FIRED their Powuh Shots and sent the witch flying to the air. Just as well, the three latest MaKayla clones hopped high up from three directions, one kicking Vendra to the other, then the current, who kicked Vendra straight to the Space Block that trapped the first one. She broke through the block as the first clone grabbed her fingers and made Vendra snap. Immediately, the Space Block exploded, destroying the first MaKayla and leaving Vendra covered in soot.

Kayla and Vweeb approached the Space Witch cautiously, unsure if she was really unconscious. Their suspicions proved accurate as Vendra shot up and channeled a powerful surge of gravity on Kayla’s form. “I’m officially SICK! I’ll crush you with your OWN WEIGHT!”

Vweeb was forced against MaKayla’s body and unable to move, too, the two grunting as the gravity squeezed tighter and threatened to smoosh them any minute. “Stop!” The Space Witch was frozen in time by George King from behind. (End song.)

Kayla and Vweeb were freed from her grasp as the two looked curiously. George walked to Vendra’s front with a casual smile, then began furiously punching the witch from all sides of her face. After a few more seconds, the Stop stopped. Vendra reacted to George’s punches as her face knocked around, gaining bruises and a black left eye. The barrage ended when teeth flew out of Vendra’s mouth from a left punch, and she was knocked on the ground unconscious.

“Lucky she forgot I was there.” George said.

“...You are NOT taking credit for that.” MaKayla told him.

“You fought her under MY order.” George remarked.

Vendra’s body glowed as pink energy leaked from her mouth and flew across the halls of the Council H.Q.. “What was that?” Vweeb asked.

“Nebula’s Space Chi. It senses its body nearby and is flying to it. However, Dimentia’s chi is merged with it, too. It can’t tell the difference because Nebula’s chi is the same. Which means we have to leave the rest to her.” MaKayla explained.

“Yeah.” Vweeb agreed. “But you were awesome though, MaKayla! Being able to tell PRECISELY where Vendra would land and knowing the position of her hand and fingers! GENIUS!”

“My special privilege as a timebender.” Kayla smiled. “You were a really big help too, Vweeb. Although you aren’t at our level in power, I couldn’t have bested Vendra without you.”

“You make me blush.” Vweeb waved her off. “But honestly, you two didn’t seem as powerful as you made yourselves out.”

“Vendra didn’t exert much chi for _me_ to need to. It’s likely she was conserving it for fueling the Dimensionator. At the moment, Nebula can hold her own while facing Tachyon.”

“Speaking of which,” Vweeb began, “if you can see the future and all, do you know if I’ll ever beat my mom??”

“Now, the future’s no fun if you know how it will turn out.” MaKayla smirked.

“Come oooon. Just one hiiiint?”

“Nope! Sorry!” And MaKayla turned and walked away, leaving Vweeb to run after her.

“Hey!! I can’t have a sneakpeek?? A teaser trailer?? What about a journal entry on deviantART?”

“Not for YOU, little guuuuuy!” She walked away faster, easily outrunning the tiny alien.

“Come baaaaack!”

George only chuckled as he walked behind Vweeb.

**Jedi Temple**

“SHUROOOOO!” screamed Caesar Clown when the Drophyd Leader pressed the remote and zapped him.

“It should’ve become apparent by now there’s no escape.” the leader told him.

“Shurororo. If you think you’re so tough, why don’t you put the remote down and I’ll GIVE you something to be SHOCKED at.”

“Emperor Tachyon has entrusted me with your protection, so I will hold you here as long as it takes.”

“Shuroro! FINE, KEEP me here, because as soon as Doflamingo realizes where I am, I get a FRONT ROW seat to watch him maim you.”

“Hur, hur, hur. Your Flamingo friend will never find his way here. With our legions of Drophyds and Cragmites roaming the city, how can he possibly-” The alarms began ringing, and the two checked a camera monitor to see Sector DR charging to the temple.

“Like that?”

“ALL TROOPS, prevent Doflamingo and his associates from reaching the temple!” Leader yelled through an intercom.

_“If we lose Caesar, we lose a great amount of offensive/defensive power, not to mention Tachyon might not invite us to the afterparty, so get on it and take those birds down!”_

Sector DR charged headfirst to the colossal building as Doflamingo spun, lashed his strings, and sliced the Drophyds’ armor. A squad of Cragmites took aim at Sweetie-1, but she pressed her hands on the ground and made cannons rise and shoot the monsters. When they broke into Cragpoles, Bison launched propellers from above and sliced them, while he flew over the action with Sugar in his mouth. “Nueeeeee! I’ll keep you safe up here, Sugar-daizokun.”

“There’s nothing safe about your filthy mouth. Now let me fight.”

They reached the main entrance as a swarm of Cragmites stood in the way. Sugar dropped from Bison and quickly zipped around to touch the warriors, turning them into toys. Sector DR continued inside the temple and dashed across the halls, taking out more Drophyds. Caesar’s voice echoed from the intercom.

_“Oh wheeeere, oh where has my flamiiiingo gone? Oh wheeeere oh where can he beeeee? His grin, his chin, his patience so thin. I hope, that he’s coming for meeee, shuroro!”_

“This feels a little too easy, now that he mentions it.” Sweetie-1 said.

“This may be our only chance.” Doffy said. “We might as well take it.”

Finally, Sector DR burst down the doors to the library, where Caesar waited with the Drophyd Leader. “Caesar!”

“DOFFY- SHARAAAAAH!” he was shocked by Leader.

“Caesar is staying with us. You are completely surrounded, so you won’t be leaving, either.” A swarm of Drophyds came down from the ceiling. “As Tachyon’s loyal follower, I will not have anyone ruin his plans. So says I… the Drophyd Leader, Soldier!”

“Wait, you’re the Drophyd Leader, and your name is _Soldier_?” Sweetie-1 questioned.

“My parents had expectations for me, and I exceeded them. Now… ATTACK!”

The Drophyds began blasting, but Doflamingo jumped to the air and launched strings down to slice a bunch. Sweetie-1 dodged her way to the bookshelves, grabbed a few, and turned their pages to shurikens as they flew out and knocked their weapons away. Bison became a helicopter and flew upside-down to trap the fish in his propeller and slice them to pieces.

“ENOUGH!” Sector DR stopped to see Soldier having taken Sugar captive, holding an electric knife to her neck. “Make another move and your friend is done.”

“…” Sector DR stood in place and raised their arms.

 _“You’ve crossed the line, now.”_ They all gasped and turned to the room’s entrance. The temple halls were quiet, except for the strumming of a Spanish guitar. A shadowed being, with many feathers on his coat, stood before the entrance. His flippered feet stepped in, and the Drophyds became stricken with horror, while Sector DR’s faces beamed.

__

_

President of Doflamingo Incorporated, one of the Corporate Presidents  
DON QUIXOTE DOFLAMINGO, SR.

_

__

Doflamingo stepped in coolly, viewing the area. It was clear that his son was a carbon copy of his father, except his glasses were red and slanted, unlike Junior’s round blue ones. After scanning the room, his eyes focused dead on his son. “Junior… I told you not to keep getting yourself into these messes.”

“It’s not MY fault Sugar got captured!”

“You were ordered to protect her. You have failed in your duty. Now, I must administer punishment.”

“Grrrrr!” Junior launched at his father while he did the same. Their fists connected powerfully, and when they jumped away, lines of strings linked their hands. Doflamingo swung Junior around the room, letting their strings spread loose and slice all the remaining Drophyds. When Senior pulled him back, Junior kicked his father straight over the Drophyd Leader, Sugar breaking away from his grasp as their strings came down and SLICED the leader’s superior armor to pieces.

Soldier’s head bounced around the ground until Doffy Senior caught it, the President sporting a wicked grin. The armor-less Drophyds bounced his way to stop him, but Doffy Sr. grinned wickedly. In just seconds, all of the Drophyds lost consciousness.

“Was that… Conqueror’s Haki?” the Drophyd Leader asked.

“Kind of you to notice.” grinned Doffy, a devious look behind his glasses. “Anyway… I won’t hold it against you for hurting people under a superior’s orders. But you would do well to remember… _never_ to mess with my family. Now to make things even… it’s fair that Sugar has the honors.” He tossed the fish to his daughter, who held him in both hands.

“TO ANY fans who are _new_ to this whole thing, allow me to explain the Hobby-Hobby Fruit!” Caesar Clown said to the readers. “One of my most prized and very convoluted creations, made specially for Doflamingo’s intentions!” He smirked wickedly. “This Devil Fruit not only has the power to change people into toys, but it also erases the memory of all those who ever knew them! The fruit also has ANOTHER special feature, but I won’t spoil it for you.” He winked. “Anyway, back to the story!” He turned around to face Sugar. 

“All of your accomplishments as Leader, all your respect… has just been **erased**.” And with no hesitation, she turned the Drophyd Leader into a red toy robot.

“…Who was leading all these creatures, anyway?” Doffy Sr. asked.

“We may never know, Doffy.” Caesar shrugged. “We may _never ever know_ …” His maniacal grin returned.

**Across the city**

While the Drophyds were on duty, a sudden realization overcame their mind. “Hey… what’re we all doing here, anyway?” a troop asked.

“Serving an emperor?”

“But why? What’s he got on us?”

“I dunno man, but I’m a little creeped!”

“WAAAAAAAHHHH!” Panic immediately spread among the Drophyds as they started running about aimlessly. Sheila and Kirie exchanged baffled glances, since they were in the middle of fighting Drophyds.

Dandy stood atop one of the rooftops and had a great view of this confusion. “Geez, are they late for a tea party or somethin’?”

**Galactic Council H.Q.**

This realization overcame Tachyon as well. “What are all these fish things doing in my city?? What do they have to do with all of this? GET OUT OF HERE, you buckets of bolts with fish in them!!” The Drophyds immediately cowered out of the audience room.

“Emperor Tachyon, what in Galaxia is going on??” Jeremy demanded.

“I don’t even KNOW, anymore! And now that I think about it, I forgot to have someone watch over Caesar! Mom, this is Tachyon!” he yelled into his communicator. “How is Caesar…” No response. “Mom? Uuugh. Star Wolf, what is your condition? Hello? Vendra? Trunchbull? WHY ISN’T ANYBODY ANSWERING MEEEEEE!”

“They’ve all got their hands full.” Tachyon gasped and looked to the room’s entrance on the floor below. Nebula Winkiebottom stepped in calmly, her glare fixed on the buggy emperor.

“Nebula!” her father exclaimed.

The skimpy emperor formed a grin. “Nebula D. Winkiebottom… we meet again. Are you here to finally acknowledge me as your ruler, AND as your conqueror?”

“…No. I’m here to finish what my ancestors started!” She sent a surge of Space Lightning at the emperor.

 

**And so ends the last bit of this stage, now it’s on to the final boss. With his other officers defeated, all we must do is defeat Tachyon, and the universe will be saved. Or will it? By the way, isn’t it funny how I started watching _One Piece_ when I was making _MASKED_ , and now I’m watching _Naruto_ when _NECSUS_ is going on! XD So next time, our final battle with Tachyon, and likely reconciling. X3 Assuming nothing goes wrong. ;3 Well-p, later.**


	26. The King of Space

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nebula battles Percival Tachyon. But our heroes may yet be in for another surprise.

**Yello, everybody, the moment we’ve been waiting for is finally here! Let’s fight Tachyon and save the universe once and for all! But will it really end there? Let’s find out.**

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Chapter 25: The King of Space

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**Downtown Coruscant**

“Faster, faster! Mush!” Bender exclaimed as he, Dillon, Vanel, and the Gilligans rushed through town to get to the Council H.Q.. His legs were still broken, so he was riding the fused Gilligans and whipping their behind (Haylee’s face) with his whip from Osiris.

“Ouch! When did WE become your chariot?” Haylee asked.

“When you became humans. Now MUSH!” Another whip.

Space Dandy watched them from above with confusion. “What the hell is he riding? Some kinda weird alien? Wait…” he looked with binoculars and saw Haylee’s face, “that’s the girl I lent the _Aloha_ to. You mean SHE was an alien all ALONG?! And a new one at that… I oughta go catch her! And mixed with the bounty I’ll get from Vendra and Neftin, I’ll be SWIMMIN’ in dough, baby, ha ha!”

**Galactic Council, Audience Chamber**

Nebula sent the Space Lightning at Tachyon, but he blocked it with a metal wall formed from matter. “Please, like THAT simple trick ever worked.” With that, Just WHAT do you plan to do? Even _if_ you had your spacebending, I’m the supreme ruler of Galaxia AND the Cragmite Empire! My rule stretches FAR and wide! And as Galaxia’s official dictator, I hereby decree that ANYONE not bowing down to me be royally tied with a hose, be beaten by carwashers, and THROWN off the top of Carwash Headquarters!”

“Tachyon, the Dimensionator doesn’t belong to you. Not only have you overstepped your boundaries as Chancellor, you’ve overstepped your boundaries in our own time! I’m sending all the Cragmites back to their time, and I’m sending YOU to the Cragmites’ current dimension.”

“And go to boring dining halls, drink tea, and eat CRUMPETS?! Just scatter me _now_.”

“But Tachyon, isn’t that all you wanted from the beginning? To see your people, know your culture, and, you know, learn their ways?”

“Oh, please! I didn’t give a damn about my culture; heck, I don’t even care about the Cragmites in GENERAL! The only thing I desired is POWER, and military strength, and the Dimensionator and Cragmites help me accomplish BOTH.”

“Or is that the lifestyle that MOM raised you to live? The only reason she raised you to this point was for HER own benefit. If you had lived on your own, you might be different.”

“Maybe you’ve forgotten, Miss Winkiebottom, but I am not FROM this time, my egg was laid in the era when the Cragmite Empire was STRONG. I was meant to be BORN back then and rule with my people, but your inSIDIOUS grandparents and those wretched Zathurians took that AWAY from me! If it had not been for Mom, I would be nothing! It was the Cragmites’ destiny to be rulers of the universe using the powers of Space, and after about 2 million years, they are on the VERGE of accomplishing that, thanks to ME. …So I guess, in a way, I really _do_ take after my culture. Besides…” His throne marched to Nebula’s right, “how would you feel if YOUR culture was not as you hoped? That was your personal purpose to find the Dimensionator, wasn’t it? Just HOW would you feel if you warped to Zathura only to find they’ve become a ravenous bunch of bloodthirsty vermin? HUUUUH?”

“…” Nebula only glared.

“Here: let me help you. DIMENSIONATOR: FIND _ZATHURAAAAA_!”

Nebula’s eyes fell wide as the Dimensionator conjured a spiraling portal before her. “If _my_ calculations are CORRECT, _this_ portal will take you straight to Zathura! This is your chance, Nebula. Your chance to finally see who your people are. They could be the same as they were in Dimentia’s time. They could be a ravenous bunch of thugs. OR they could be absolutely NOTHING. It’s _your_ culture. The _one_ thing you wanted to know. And no matter what it is, I’m sure you’ll be happy to find out.”

“No.” Nebula stated. “I can’t just go and let you destroy everyone. No matter how much I want to see Zathura, my duties as an operative come first. And besides… no matter what Zathura is now… Galaxia is my true culture. This universe, even. It’s the place I was born, where all my friends and loyal operatives live. It’s my job to protect them all from people like you. And keep the Dimensionator OUT of your hands.”

“HA ha ha haaaa! And just how better would it be in YOUR hands? From the info I’ve gathered from Vendra’s eavesdropping, you want to use it to establish YOUR OWN personal empire, of rotten, snotty kids! You can’t call yourself the hero if YOU’RE no different!”

“Fine! Maybe that IS what I wanna do! But the Dimensionator’s a lot worse off in your hands, and I’ll take it by any means necessary!” She whipped out the S.H.O.O.T.E.R. and blasted his head, but the matter formed right back.

“Clearly, THAT wasn’t necessary.” remarked Tachyon as he waved his staff and dissolved her pack of weapons into matter. He blew the girl back using laser turrets in his throne. Nebula jumped up to jolt him with Space Lightning, but Tachyon extracted a lightning rod from his staff and caught the lightning to throw it back. “What little Space Chi you have WON’T be enough to attack ME! If you like space so much, then I’ll spread your matter to the FARTHEST reaches of-” But his eyes widened when a pink beam of light flew over and absorbed in Nebula’s body. “WHAT?!”

Nebula floated to her feet as she felt the immense Space Chi flow through her. She studied her hands before forming a Space Block, snapping, and exploding it. “Well, there’s the outcome of Vendra’s battle.” She smirked.

“What-” Nebula shot a Starburst in Tachyon’s face, blowing him and his Walking Throne back.

She brimmed with energy as she stretched out two longer rays of Space Lightning. “This is more power than I had before! I guess I got my mom’s by accident, too. Which is MORE than enough to take YOU down!” She grinned with malice.

“Hmmuuurrr. So be it. Then let the War Between Cragmites and Zathurians COME to an end! In this final battle… MATTER vs. SPACE!”

“Kick his can, Nebula!” Jeremy cheered.

“SIT down and be quiet!” ordered Tachyon.

“Awwww.” (Play Lord Frederick’s Theme from _Donkey Kong: Tropical Freeze_!)

 

_Semifinal boss: Emperor Percival Tachyon_

Tachyon leaped high in the air and used his matterbending to conjure spikes on the bottom of his throne’s feet, but Nebula easily warped above the emperor and pelted him with Starbursts. Tachyon formed an overhead shield as he began to wave his arms around, making a storm of matter spiral over their heads. The matter formed into giant metal spikes and flew down at Nebula, the Zathurian flying around the room to evade them. Not looking forward, she was surprised when Tachyon spawned in front of her and shocked her with his staff, making her fall to the ground.

“MWAH HA ha haaaa! While space is essentially everywhere, matter is everyTHING!” laughed Tachyon as he and his throne hovered in the air as spiraling matter. “Whether I’m a solid,” he tried to smash his throne down on Nebula, who avoided, “a liquid,” he gathered a bunch of metal matter and dissolved it and himself into liquid, flowing over to Nebula to wrap and bind her in place as a solid again, “or gas!” His own body dissolved into a gas cloud that encased Nebula’s head. “Who more fitting to rule over everything… than one who can BECOME anything!”

Nebula warped away and zapped lightning at the man of matter, knocking him back to normal. Tachyon blocked with his staff as Nebula ran to punch him, and when she flipped behind to kick his head, it flew off and dissolved into matter. Tachyon’s body recovered and attempted to hit her with his staff, and as she fought back, Tachyon’s head flew from behind and munched her head in his mouth, letting the body zap Nebula before the head retreated. Nebula recovered to see Tachyon back on his Walking Throne, which grew longer, animal-like legs and jumped to the audience area.

“Dimensionator: find the SHY Guys!” announced Tachyon as his helmet created a vortex above the room, releasing a swarm of Shy Guys. The Pyro Guys ran at Nebula and tried to hit her with flames, but she flew above and trapped them in Space Blocks. Medi Guys tried to jab her with their pods’ needles, but after dodging them, she gasped and quickly evaded audience platforms that Tachyon’s throne kicked her way. With too much coming at her, she couldn’t dodge when a Spy Guy shot a net at her from his slingshot and caught her inside.

Tachyon smirked and conjured another giant spike above Nebula, aiming to send it down. However, Nebula quickly channeled the Space Chi and had it warp straight to Tachyon, piercing the emperor’s front, only for his matter to dissolve again. Tachyon reappeared on the floor and jumped off his thrown, gripping the floor forcefully with his hands and grunting as the room shook. The floor beneath Nebula’s feet melted to cement-like liquid, and in seconds, the entire floor became a maelstrom of melted metal. “WAAAAH!” Nebula sunk into the metal and became lost in its waves.

“Nebula!” Jeremy exclaimed.

“HA HA ha ha!” laughed Tachyon as his face appeared next to Nebula in the sea of gray. “I would say you’re all washed up, but this isn’t exactly the cleanest substance! Now prepare to be buried beneath the council for all ETERNITY!” She tried to shock the face, but Tachyon disappeared as the melted metal began to pile up. Unable to swim past the metal, Nebula warped several meters above, managing to get above the metal only for a glob to reach up and pull her down.

 _Come on, Nebula. Your spacebending wasn’t gone that long, so you shouldn’t forget how to use it! Get rid of this goop with a good-old-fashioned black hole!_ She channeled her power and conjured a black hole a few feet away, sucking the metal inside. She was pulled in as well, but the portal’s other end was above the room, and it poured right back while Nebula flew away and shook the goop off. However, Tachyon revealed to be attached to her as he whacked with his stick. She tried to throw her Starbursts behind, but he remained attached to her back.

“Your matter has become _mine_ , Dearie. But I assure my stay won’t be long.”

“Grrrr!” Nebula formed a Space Block around them both.

“Please, that Space Block will be _long_ gone after I-”

Nebula snapped her fingers and exploded them both, forcing Tachyon off of her as they fell to the floor. “Aaaaaahhhh-!” They landed with a thud on the now-solid floor as Tachyon helped himself up. “You were planning to EXPLODE yourself just to take me down?! If that had destroyed us, you wouldn’t even be able to FOLLOW your dream!”

Nebula stood up wobbly, covered with soot as she glared at him. “I told you… my duty as an operative comes _first_.”

“Fuff!” Tachyon formed his throne back and got on as two rods stuck out from the front, connected by electric beams. They launched both vertical and horizontal beams which Nebula easily dodged, getting to Tachyon’s side and punching him with another Starburst. The emperor summoned the electric beams back, forcing Nebula to fly away, then he touched his staff on his electric rods to absorb their power. Nebula dodged as Tachyon zapped electric rays from his staff, but was surprised when he became an electric ray himself and got behind her, zapping her back. “The _fourth_ state of matter is _plasma_.” Nebula spin-kicked, but Tachyon leapt in front, grabbed the floor, and turned it to melted metal to grab Nebula again. Only her head was left sticking up, but when Tachyon tried to shock it, she warped behind him again.

Nebula did Space Split to separate her in two halves, and both halves flew to Tachyon’s sides to throw Starbursts, which Tachyon jumped. He landed and pulled his head off as it flew to the right Nebula, while his body approached the left. The body swung its staff which the left Nebula grabbed, and when the right tried to hit the head, Tachyon grabbed her head in his mouth, making the left Nebula lose focus for the body to hit her. The left regained composure and shocked the body, making the head flinch as the right got free and punched him with a Starburst. The head bounced on the ground before reuniting with the body.

“Grrrr!” Tachyon activated his helmet again. “Dimensionator: find the Hotheads!” Another portal opened and released the Hotheads from Solar Mines, the fiery pranksters riding around Tachyon as he began to absorb their heat. It wasn’t long before the skimpy emperor became a huge incarnation of flames, sending huge fireballs that Nebula dodged. The Zathurian sent Starbursts at him, but he opened holes in his body to let them pass, then shot at Nebula in attempt to grab her.

 _His Matter-Matter Fruit is crazy!_ Nebula thought as she dodged the grab. _How did Caesar manage to make a Devil Fruit that gives you control over the elements? Oh well… all I know is that Space Chi hurts him. So I need to keep fighting!_ She kept dodging his extended flame-arms before Tachyon unleashed a barrage of fireballs at her. She swiftly dodged them all before flying at him and creating a huge Space Block around him. She slowly compressed the block and watched Tachyon struggle to escape in his massive flame form. Finally, she destroyed the Space Block in an explosion, swallowing the area in smoke.

The Hotheads flew through the smoke and attempted to burn Nebula, but she dodged and flew up while shooting Starbursts at them. Tachyon happened to merge with the smoke, so he flew up in attempt to hit with his staff, but Nebula evaded and shocked him with Space Lightning to make him fall. He landed headfirst, with the Dimensionator taking the impact, so as a result, the device malfunctioned and shot a portal open a few feet away. Tachyon struggled, but he and his throne ended up sucked inside. Nebula landed and only stared at the portal, but Tachyon’s throne stretched a leg out, grabbed her, and pulled her inside.

The portal spat them out on the council’s roof, and upon landing, Tachyon slammed Nebula against the floor and let her roll down the slippery dome. Nebula gripped the roof and stopped sliding, then quickly dodged when Tachyon jumped in his throne and attempted to smash her. When he turned around, he began to slide down himself, so he used his matter powers to float back to safety. Tachyon looked at the spiraling storm clouds in the sky and extracted a longer antenna from the back of his throne, letting it get struck by lightning. As his throne absorbed the power and he took the shock, Tachyon was soon hurdling to the sky as a bolt of lightning.

Nebula watched as the emperor’s gruesome face formed in the clouds, grinning wickedly as he channeled more lightning to strike down on his opponent. Nebula dodged and put her hands in a framing fashion, focusing them on Tachyon. While dodging the lightning, she was trying to Space Shrink his face, and it was working until Tachyon made himself a beam of lightning and shot down. Nebula dodged, but Tachyon began zipping around the roof in his lightning form, forcing Nebula to dodge every half-second. She looked up when Tachyon shot to the air, got overhead, and shot down, striking straight through the roof and into his own office.

“Gyaah!” Pollyx, who was in there at the time, jumped in fright before cowering in the closet. Nebula dodged that attack and dropped down in the office to find Tachyon and his throne back to normal. The emperor dizzily recovered and fixed the Dimensionator back on, but Nebula immediately pelted him with a Starburst. Before he could recover, Tachyon was met with a series of Starbursts, forcing him against his wide glass window that overlooked the city. When Nebula stopped briefly, he turned his head to see the cracked window and the long drop that lay beyond it.

“You think pushing me out the window will do any good?” he retorted. “It’s not like falling down a thousand-foot drop is enough to kill me. I’m not weak like Palpatine, you know.”

“Yeah, but this is usually the best way to take down tyrants. Symbolism, you know?”

“Then let YOUR fate symbolize that of the Kids Next Door-” He tried to zap his scepter, but Nebula pelted it away with a Starburst and sent it flying out the window.

“You know, it’s not just _my_ spacebending I’m using to fight you. I’m using my mom’s, too. So even though she never wanted to meet you, it’s like she’s still fighting by my side. So as the two GKND leaders, my mother and I will DEFEAT you!”

“YOUR MOTHER’S dead!” (End song.)

“What?” Nebula held back her attack.

Tachyon got back up and fixed the Dimensionator on his head. “Earlier today, I called Zordoom and ordered an _immediate_ execution of Dimentia Z. Winkiebottom, at 6:00! Which, as you can see, it is now _ten_ o’clock,” he pointed at the clock in the room, “so it has been 4 hours since her execution. Even if you defeat me here, I will have still succeeded in ridding the Zathurians from the past. And I will have, even then, destroyed the greatest threat that ever thrived in Galaxia.”

“…No.” Nebula refused to believe it. “My mom isn’t dead. Her Space Chi is inside of me!”

“And just _why_ do you believe that _happened_? Clearly, the chi had no other place to go now that its original body is gone. The fact that the chi is inside you will always serve to remind you, she is no more. And your last memory of her, will be that she would go to great lengths to be away from her past, even risking her own daughter’s _life_.”

Nebula looked down with doubt. Maybe that is why the Space Chi came to her. Because… her mother was really dead. And just like she wanted… Nebula would carry on her legacy. The legacy of the Zathurians, and the GKND. Just as she inherited the spacebending, she inherited Dimentia’s will. She would defeat Tachyon here… and lead the Kids Next Doors forever mo-

“That’s exactly why I came.” The two were immediately struck with surprise as they looked to the entrance. There stood Dimentia Z. Winkiebottom with MaKayla King.

“I briefed her on everything and showed her the way.” MaKayla replied. “You obtained her Space Chi because you were the nearest vessel that matched. She’s actually well and alive.”

“But that’s impossible!” Tachyon exclaimed. “The executioner should have…”

Dimentia smirked and recalled the story.

_Dimentia remained in her cell, waiting patiently for her daughter’s return. Her face bathed in the dim light of the cell’s window, but she looked to the door when a shadow fell over her. The executioner stood outside with his axe ready._

_But suddenly, a powerful gust of wind shot over and sliced the executioner, leaving him down and bloody. The shadowed man who casted the wind approached and looked over his body. His red eye glared as he pulled the man’s mask off. “Kenkak Xefro… huh. In the end, he was never loyal.” He blew him away with some wind. With that, he used a key to open Dimentia’s cell, walking in to open her cuffs. “It’s time for us to go.”_

_Dimentia looked at his shadowed face with surprise. “You… How did you know I’d be here?”_

_“This paper came by me this morning.” He held up the newspaper, which revealed Dimentia’s execution date at 6:00. “In the end, Tachyon’s still a corrupt politician that’ll do anything for stardom. But I suspect, at this moment, your daughter is on her way to face him. As the remaining Zathurian, you must be there, too.”_

_Dimentia stood as he turned to walk away. “I…I can’t. It’s not my responsibility, anymore. Nebula… is Supreme Leader.”_

_He stopped. “True… But you are trying to evade your past. Only when you face it… can you be free from it. And when you do… you will have nothing to hold you back.” He continued walking._

“That’s why… I decided to come here.” Dimentia said. “You’re the only real remnant remaining from my distant past. So I have to see to it… that you’re destroyed forever.”

Nebula looked at her mother with pride.

“HA HA haaaa! And what are _you_ going to do? You have no spacebending.” Tachyon reminded.

“No. But my daughter does. _She_ inherited my will. And she’s just about on the verge of finishing you!”

Tachyon immediately got back on his throne. “We’ll see about that!” He declared, beginning to charge a powerful plasma beam in his rods.

“Nebula, you have my Space Chi!” Dimentia reminded. “Remember what I taught you… Space is connected to Darkness. Chi that is used for evil will make Darkness. Darkness is made of Dark Matter, which overpowers regular matter. So use my negative chi and destroy him with a full helping of dark matter!”

Nebula nodded and closed her eyes, aiming both hands at Tachyon. She carefully channeled the energy, and Tachyon felt an incredibly painful sensation. “Aaaahhh… Aaaaaah!...” Nebula used the negative energies of both their chi to form a black hole in Tachyon’s heart. “AAAAaaaaahhhhh!” Tachyon desperately tried to move, but the massive force of gravity in his heart kept him in place and made his throne slump.

The room trembled furiously as Nebula channeled the gravity even stronger, and Tachyon’s heart felt unbearably heavy. But the pain wouldn’t end there, as Nebula approached the man and pressed her hand against his chest. With a powerful surge of energy, Nebula made the black hole spin, and Tachyon never felt more pain. “ENDLESS VORTEX: ONE MILLION LIGHT-YEARS AN HOUR!”

“AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!...” Tachyon’s heart was spinning faster and faster, and his weak little heart was unable to take it.

From the grounds below, the heroes were still at battle with the Cragmites, but everyone looked up to the highest floor of the Galactic Council when a tremendous explosion was heard. A miniscule figure came flying out of that floor and soared across the dome-shaped structure. This figure was Tachyon, whose lifeless eyes were still and frozen with his gaping mouth, and his bald head free from any crown. He flew with the shattered remains of his Walking Throne, straight to the gang of operatives, creating a cloud of dust upon his landing.

The operatives and Cragmites waited for the smoke to clear, and there lay the battle’s outcome. (Play “Can’t Escape, Fight! (the first part)” from _One Piece_.) There lay Tachyon’s defeated, dead body. The Cragmite Emperor and ruler of Galaxia lay defeated in a simple crater. They all looked back at the floor where Tachyon flew out from, and the battle’s victor stood in the broken window. Nebula Winkiebottom’s hair blew in the wind, a victorious look on her face as she held the Dimensionator in her right arm.

Sector V, Bender, and the GKND ops exchanged ecstatic smiles before bursting into incredible cheers. “YYYAAAAAAAHHH!”

“The KING has FALLEN!!” Chris cheered.

“ALL HAIL NEBULA!” Vweeb cheered from George’s shoulder.

“Savior of Galaxia!” Makava exclaimed.

“And Bender! Who was the biggest help to her!” Bender said.

Nebula could only smile lightly. Now she knew how Cheren felt… being regarded as a hero. Even after accomplishing this much… when she’s finally here, she doesn’t feel like it’s a big deal. She looked up at her mother when Dimentia placed a hand on her shoulder, smiling with pride. Down below, Jerome also felt proud for his sister… and so did Dandy, who still waited atop the skyscraper. “That kid ain’t half bad…”

“Ooooohh this isn’t good.” whimpered Pollyx, who hid in the office’s closet this whole time, and was beginning to sneak out. “At this rate, I’ll never be able to find my son- GYAAH!” MaKayla suddenly dropped down from above him.

“You and I have things to discuss.” And before Pollyx could get away, Sollyx revealed himself on the ceiling above him.

“Okay, Dad?”

“S…Son… Ohhhh.” Pollyx fainted in shock.

“…Does that count as my boss battle?” Sollyx asked. Kayla shrugged.

The Cragmite troops only exchanged glances before sinking their heads in defeat. “OHHHH MY BABY!” screamed a Cragmite woman as she broke through the crowd and wept over Tachyon’s form. “My precious little Gleborp!! You were so young!”

“Is that… Tachyon’s MOM?” Dillon asked.

“Gleborp!! HAAAA ha ha!” Vanellope laughed. The kids only remained silent and let the Cragmite mother cry. (End song.)

In seconds, everything Tachyon transformed with his matter began to form back. The obstacles around the city returned into place, as did Sector V’s C.O.O.L.-B.U.S.. “My baby!!” Haylee shrieked. “That means-” And to their extreme joy, the Gilligans separated back to normal. “YES!!”

“AAHHH!” At that instant, Space Dandy came down and caught Haylee in his net. “GOTCHA, ya shifty little-… Hey… you’re not an alien.”

“Gee, ya think?”

“Oh…” He pulled it off. “…So how’s the _Aloha Oe_?” Right on cue, the spaceship formed back from matter as well.

“Needed some retouching.”

And finally, a pair of handcuffs formed beside the kids, a pair that they recognized. “Hey… these are Caesar’s handcuffs. They have his smell.” Haruka said.

“Where is Caesar, anyway?” Dillon asked.

Back in Tachyon’s office, Nebula and Dimentia stared at the Dimensionator in the former’s hands. “So that’s it… That’s the pride of my people.”

“A bit smaller than you hoped, huh?” Nebula said.

“I wanted it disposed of… but… I guess it should be yours. What will you do?”

“MaKayla says I should destroy it… but… there’s so many cultures I can learn about. And… I could spread the KND farther.”

“Maybe… but remember what I did.”

“Yeah… Oh, that reminds me. You probably want your spacebending back. It doesn’t feel right using someone else’s, so… I wonder if I can give it back?”

Dimentia smiled as she reached her hand out, and Nebula reached hers to take it. They were inches from touching, when…

Nebula’s face froze with shock as someone pierced her from behind. Down below, everyone was horrified when Vendra Prog stuck her hands through Nebula’s body from behind, via mini vortexes. “Yeah… but it works.”

Vendra pulled her hands out and took the Dimensionator. She allowed Nebula to fall out the window, but when Dimentia caught her, Vendra flew behind to BLOW the two down the building’s slope. They bounced down rapidly, but Jerome appeared to catch Nebula while MaKayla dashed down to grab Dimentia. They were safely taken down to the others as Nebula dizzily woke up. Then, everybody looked up with fright as Vendra floated down with the Dimensionator planted on her head.

The wicked Space Witch grinned with pure malice as she channeled Nebula and Dimentia’s Space Chi into the invention. “Finally. Now to get back on track. Dimensionator: …FIND… the _KING OF SPACE_!”

A furious wind blew across the city as storm clouds spiraled into one place and emitted lightning. The lightning flashed all around as a vortex in the sky opened. And from it, a bright ray of light shone, which would bring the targeted individual to their dimension. The light struck the ground before the heroes… and a pitch-black silhouette sat in its core. The King of Space sat right before the team’s eyes.

The light and vortex faded, revealing the being’s true color. His garb appeared to be purple and yellow stripes, with a jester’s hat on his head. He wore black puffy pants and black shoes. He finally stood up, revealing to be a man of average height. His face, however, was slightly blocked by his hat’s drooped points. But they saw all they needed to. A Zathurian with striking features similar to Dimentia… except he was male. Sector V, Vweeb, Jerome, and Nebula had no words… but Dimentia’s face absolutely lost all little color it had.

 _“For nearly 2 million years… I was left all alone.”_ He walked closer slowly. _“Twenty years ago… I barely got a glimpse of you. Then… I had to wait even longer.”_

Dimentia was absolutely shaking. Her eyes didn’t blink for a second. She had no strength to. At that moment… her past came hurdling at her like a speeding bullet. _“After such a long time… it was worth it to see your beautiful face… Sister.”_ After he brushed the hat’s points from his face, Dimentio Z. Winkiebottom opened his yellow and black eyes. “I missed you so much…”

 

**Dan-dan, da-da-da, daaaaaa-la-la-la-laaaaa. You heard it first-hand folks, the King of Space is, the only OTHER survivor of Zathura, and the only other spacebender who was around back then. Can you all guess his power? I mean, yeah he’s a spacebender, but just… what kind? Find out as we enter the TRUE finale of this story, Into the Nexus! Yes, the whole ordeal with Tachyon was just a minor bump in the road, THIS guy is the real deal. But what does this ancient Zathurian want? Can the heroes win? Find out next time…**


	27. Into the Nexus

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The King of Space returns from the Netherverse.

**Hey, welcome back! Last time, we defeated Tachyon, but Vendra freed the King of Space, who turned out to be Dimentio Z. Winkiebottom! But what crazy plan does he have now that he’s free? Let us find out.**

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Chapter 26: Into the Nexus

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**Coruscant Capital**

The area was dead silent as everyone was still struck with shock. Vendra was frozen as well, after seeing his face. To think the King of Space was a Zathurian. And not only that… he was..

“Wait-wait-wait. _Who’s_ his sister?” Chris asked.

“Who do you _think_ , Sherlock?” Aurora retorted. “Tachyon’s mom?”

“Eyehhhh, what’s that?” asked Tachyon, sitting up. “What’s going on here?”

“WHY THE HECK ARE YOU ALIVE?!” the operatives screamed.

“Please, when was the last time someone died in this series? And don’t say Viridi.”

“Mom… is he… really my uncle?” Nebula asked.

“… _Dimentio_ … But… Why…Why are you here?!” Dimentia yelled. “Why didn’t you vanish… with the rest of Zathura?!”

“Sister… you sound upset.” Dimentio spoke as he walked past them slowly. “Why would you… when you haven’t seen me in so long. Is it perhaps… you are so overjoyed, you are angry? Or… were you hoping that _every_ remnant of your past was… washed away?”

Dimentio walked past her as Dimentia could barely move. He then began to observe the Kids Next Door operatives. “Time moves so quickly… look at how many children possess the elements nowadays. And to think… such power back then would be incredible… and unspeakable.” Without hesitating, he aimed his hand at Chris and blasted a Starburst.

“OW! Grrrr!…” Chris jumped back to his feet and yelled, “What’s the big idea?!”

“I have a slight grudge against your father. He caused my sister great grief 20 years ago.”

“Grrrr, oh yeah? ! Well, get ready to experience that grief yourself!!” Chris jumped at the Zathurian and attempted a flame-kick, but he went straight through his head. “What?” Chris jumped and tried to punch, but he still went through. The Uno boy continued to try and hit Dimentio, but everyone was just as surprised. None of his attacks worked at all. It was almost like Dimentio was…  empty space. (Play “Difficult (the first part)” from _One Piece_.)

Tachyon gasped, and immediately commanded, “CRAGMITES!! _DESTROOOOYY HIIIIIM!”_

The legions of Cragmites focused solely on Dimentio and fired directly at him. The gunfire lasted for 20 seconds, and finally stopped after that area was shrouded in smoke. The smoke cleared, and everyone was frozen in fear as not a single wound was left in Dimentio’s body. Every attack phased directly through his slightly faded body.

“You’re a… _Logia spacebender…”_ Dimentia spoke lowly.

Dimentio threw open his gown and revealed the vortex that made his body. “That’s right…” He closed it. “After 2 million years of drifting through space… bonding with the endless darkness… I have become one with Space itself. As a Logia waterbender has the whole ocean to their whim… or an earthbender has a whole planet… a Logia spacebender can become WIDE AS SPACE ITSELF!!! Behold, a small demonstration of my power!” He aimed his hands directly upward and channeled a colossal surge of energy. The clouds spiraled again as a black hole formed in the heavens, several miles away. Citizens of Coruscant were screaming and running as a huge chunk of the city flowed straight up into the vortex.

“AAAHHH!” Tachyon charged at Dimentio in attempt to shock with his staff, but it merely phased through as well. Dimentio smirked and aimed his hand at Tachyon, spinning it into a vortex. The emperor tried to stand his ground, but Dimentio’s power proved stronger as Tachyon was sucked inside. “WAAAAAHHH!”

Dimentio closed the vortex as Mason and Haru shot gas at him, Dillon stretched his shadow’s arms, and Chris and Aurora tossed fireballs. Dimentio merely blew them away with an expanded Space Block. “Ahhh… don’t you kids know? All elements are useless… if they have nothing to touch!!”

“AAAAH!” Nebula screamed and threw Starbursts, using what little chi she had left. Dimentio only smiled as he absorbed this energy.

“Thank you… Child. I was feeling… quite famished. Ahhh… but look at this.” He viewed across the city. “So much endless space… so much emptiness. And yet… it must be so cluttered… so many obstructions, blocking the wonderful view. All these… cities and… planets. They clutter up something so wonderful. That’s why… when I became a Logia Space… I came up with a solution. I could swallow up EVERY little obstruction… in the blink of an eye! My dreams of creating a realm of endless space can come into fruition!!”

“WHAT?!” Nebula screamed. “You mean… you want to swallow up everything in the universe?!”

“YYYES!! Ever since my sister left, I’ve been flowing the beautiful realms for so many eons! In all that pitch-black darkness, that unbelievable quiet, I’ve never felt so at peace! I knew… from the moment I became Space itself… this is how everything is supposed to be! I was going to recreate the era before the Big Bang where not a SHRED of matter EVER EXISTED!!”

“That’s impossible!” Nebula exclaimed. “The universe is infinite! And there’s matter wherever you look! Even if you become a black hole that keeps growing and growing, you’ll never destroy it all!”

“Ohhhh… but it _is_ possible… _Deeeaaar_.” He spoke with very psychotic eyes. “The key lies… within the Netherverse.” (End song.)

“What?” asked Vendra with surprise.

“Why, yes.” He floated up to her. “Do you all know where the Netherverse even lies on the dimensional plane? True, it lies within Space itself… but what lies in Space itself? Well, my friends, it is ALL THE MATTER IN THE UNIVERSE! Just WHY do the Nether Rifts only show up on solid objects?? Because those solid objects are made of matter! It could show up in midair, too, but…

“Within the Netherverse, there is essentially a central core that holds the matter of the universe in place. That core is called the Nexus, and it channels spacebending so powerful, it’s beyond _my_ comprehension. The core’s ultimate purpose is to prevent an outflow of all that energy, and that purpose is reflected in all the matter of the universe. But ages ago, six pieces of that core were shattered, and ejected from the Netherverse, ending up in the hands of the Zathurians. And wouldn’t you know it, they created the Dimensionator, the perfect device that can harness the space energy of the universe USING the fragments! If I go in the Netherverse with THIS,” he used gravity to make the Dimensionator float to his hands, “I can finally harness the Nexus’s powers using its own crystals mixed with MY spacebending! I can allow the space energy to outflow and ELIMINATE EVERYTHING!!”

“You’re…You’re insane!” Nebula yelled. “You could never survive in a universe with no matter! Even if you ARE space!”

“It is my destiny. It was from the very beginning. The Nexus has all the power to accomplish my quest! Oh! And guess what matter the Nexus is connected to…”

“The Great Clock!” MaKayla gasped.

“YES!! The source of all time will be the FIRST to fall, in the center of it all! With nothing to balance it, Time will freeze to a standstill! I can remain the same age and bask in endless space FOREVER MORE!!”

“Lickety-Split KICK!” announced Vanellope as she zipped around him as a pixelly beam and KICKED at Dimentio. The wicked Zathurian grinned as she phased through.

“ _Ahhh_ … don’t you know, Dear? Light passes THROUGH space!” And with that, Vanellope was met with a powerful surge of Space Lightning.

“VANELLOPE!!” Dillon cried in despair. In just seconds, their pixelated friend was gone. Sector V became frozen in horror, trying to fight back tears.

“WHY ARE YOU SADDENED? YOU’LL ALL BE _DEAD_ IN MERE HOURS!” Dimentio screamed.

MaKayla growled with rage as she dashed at the spacebender and took a mighty leap. “Ahhh, and what does the girl in pajamas hope to-”

MaKayla BASHED Dimentio square in the face with the head of her staff. As he toppled over, nose bleeding and teeth flying from his mouth, he had no words. After he fell, Dimentio trembled with fear, sitting up weakly as he carefully touched his bloody nose. “Blood… I-It’s my… BLLLLLOOOOOOOD! HOOOOOWWW COULD YOU DOOOO THIIIIS?”

“The spirituality is… as Time flows, things eventually become cluttered. More stuff is tossed in the attic, more trash piles in the dump. And space ultimately gets smaller. Therefore, _Time_ has the upper hand over Space.”

“Is…Is that so?” Dimentio smiled and stood up, wiping the blood from his nose calmly. “Well then… I best be getting started now. This will be the last night Coruscant has any matter. Dimensionator! Find the Netherverse!” The invention activated and fired a portal high above the heavens. “And keep it open!” The Zathurian flew beyond the atmosphere and forced the portal to expand. Coruscant began to tremble furiously as buildings were already sucked into the heavens.

“Hey, hold on a sec!” Vendra yelled as she flew up after him.

“Sis, NOOO!” Neftin cried.

“We’re dead if we stay here any longer!” Aurora yelled. “Everyone on the _Aloha_ NOW!”

“Wait up!” Dandy yelled, running after them. “If my baby’s riding headfirst in a deadly spacestorm, I wanna be ON it!”

Nebula was about to board, but turned back to see her mother standing. “Mom, hurry up! Quit being shocked and let’s go!”

She shook back to reality. “I need to run back in and get your father to send an evacuation notice! I came in my own ship, so I’ll escape. Just get out of here now!”

“…” With mixed feelings, both Nebula and Jerome hurried on the _Aloha_ as it took off.

**Netherverse**

Dimentio arrived at a tremendous structure made of purple glowing crystal, which appeared the same as the Dimensional Fragments. High above, purple energy flowed down and through the structure in an hourglass style. “I stared at you for 20 years… and had no way of harnessing you. And now, with the Dimensionator in my possession, it is time for us to fulfill our destiny!” He was about to walk in, but Vendra warped in front of him.

“Hold just a second.” She glared. “You can’t just get set free from your prison and not talk to your savior.”

“Oh, yes… you’ve done me a marvelous favor, my dear. I would love for you to accompany and share this golden moment with me. With all the Space Chi channeled in this domain, I can easily make you a Logia.”

“I don’t WANT to be a Logia! I want to know what my world is like, and ALSO how you came to be here!”

“Ahhhh… Well, as for how I got here, it’s a long story and I don’t wanna bore you. All you need to know is, before I came here, I lived in Zathura’s dimension. I mastered my spacebending across the eons and began to pursue my goal of ridding the matter of the universe. But just 20 years ago, I was blown into the Netherverse, a realm overflowing with Space Chi that was kept confined so it didn’t leak into the outside realms. And since my body was merged with Space, those rules applied to me. My chi merged with that of the Netherverse and I couldn’t escape. Even though I could talk with people on the outside, and THEY could come in here. That’s why I enlisted your help, especially knowing you were born here.”

“But why did I end up on Endor?”

“That’s another fascinating story. While the main population here is Nethers, the Netherverse has a variety of races. The psychicbending Voxai, mighty Zoah… and a peculiar race of Mobians. Of course, interspecies relations weren’t illegal. A male Nether and female Mobian fell in love and mated to produce two twin children. I’m sure you can guess who those were. But in the short two years I was in the Netherverse, I began to show off my incredible spacebending and deemed myself the legendary god that finally came to their dimension. I earned the respect of the Nethers, and they began to support my cause. Most of them…

“A notable feature of the Mobians are their prophets. They sensed the evil inside me and knew what would be the consequences of my goals. They told the Prog parents, and they wouldn’t allow their children to follow someone so evil. I ordered their arrest by the Nethers… but they had already entrusted the newborn children to the Mobians. And _they_ used ancient Space Magic to banish them to an orphanage in Galaxia. Space Magic that came in limited energy. And it was only after 7 years I was able to find these kids. But… here’s what interests me: according to my agents’ report, the Mobians banished _three_ children from the Netherverse. You and Neftin were two of them… but I’ve yet to determine the third one’s location and identity.”

“But if you get rid of all the matter in the universe… what’ll happen to the Netherverse?”

“Well, if the Nexus becomes overloaded, and the Space Energy overflows and leaks out, I could imagine the Netherverse will fall into a state of chaos. Namely with the Nethers. The Nethers are composited of the most Space Energy, energy which is contained in here like all else. And do you know how a Nether explodes upon exit into the outer universe? Imagine that happening on a grander scale. All Nethers and all things in the Netherverse that make Nethers as well, suddenly exit beyond their line simultaneously. Overwhelmed by the outside matter, outside energy, and gravity it creates, they will all explode! You see, when the Space Chi in the Netherverse leaks out, the matter that contained it loses its purpose, and so it explodes in a last ditch attempt to dispose of the Space Chi. Ultimately, that will lead to its total destruction, AHA HA HA!”

Vendra became frozen with horror. “You’re… _You’re sick!_ That’s-That’s not what I wanted!”

“Your universe was contained in the matter of the universe with no means of escape. It was their destiny to take revenge, even if they have to die. And you, as a Nether who could survive in the universe in your Mobian form, have served your people admirably.”

“And I’m ABOUT to serve them again. I won’t let you destroy them!” She launched at Dimentio, but phased right through as he walked ahead. Angered, she chucked Starbursts at him, but his body absorbed them. She flew and attempted to grab the Dimensionator, but- “AAH!” Dimentio blew her away with Space Lightning.

“The small portion of my Space Chi I gave you is no match to what I have left. And if you do not wish to be Logia, I’m afraid you will soon perish with everything else. Ciao, my dear… and thanks for your assistance.” He warped.

Vendra gritted her teeth in anger before flying away.

**_Aloha Oe_ **

“Wait, so, why aren’t we flying headfirst into a deadly spacestorm?” Dandy asked.

“Because not all of us have Devil Fruits that let us evade any danger.” Haruka replied.

“Because we can’t fly in and take on a Logia spacebender without coming up with a plan.” Aurora said. “Even if timebending works, George and MaKayla might not be enough, and who knows what else Dimentio has up his sleeve?”

“True, despite the powers from my Chrono Staff, I don’t have the strength to fight Dimentio on my own.” MaKayla replied. “And that certainly means George doesn’t.”

“Heeey!” George whined.

“Dude, even _I_ can kick your butt.” Vweeb remarked, still on his shoulder.

“Then you fight ‘im.”

“Only one person has the potential to defeat him. But she is… going through some stuff right now.” They looked at Nebula sitting on her knees and facing the corner.

Her face was shadowed as MaKayla approached her. “You were right…” she said quietly. “If I’d’ve destroyed the Dimensionator when we had the chance, none of this would’ve happened. I wanted to see all the worlds I could… but I’ve put everyone in the universe in danger because of it.”

“Ugh, not THIS crap again.” Chris moaned.

“Nebula, I could spend an hour or so telling you the stories of the Uno parents, maybe Cheren even, or we could just cut to the chase and get on with stopping him.” MaKayla explained.

“But how? _You_ can’t stop him on your own, and it’s not like WE can be any help. And how can _I_ stop him if I only have the crappy spacebending from the Nether Rifts?”

“But perhaps that Netherverse Space Chi is the very key to your victory. What you possess is actually very powerful; but it’s come in short supply. I’m certain you can acquire more from the Dimensional Fragments.”

“You mean the fragments Dimentio is safely wearing on his head? He’ll never let me get close enough.”

“Then perhaps you need help. When a leader can’t do everything on her own, she always enlists the help of her teammates.”

“It’s true.” Aurora smiled and shrugged.

“And you’re the Supreme Leader of all Kids Next Doors. The expanse of your team stretches far.”

“That doesn’t make a difference. Even if we _could_ touch Dimentio, we don’t know how far his powers expand, nor what kind of forces he has aligned with him.” 

“I might have an answer to that.” Everybody looked at the entrance with surprise.

“Sis!!” Neftin exclaimed.

“Vendra.” Makava drew her swords.

“Is that how you all greet people?” Vendra asked.

“When it’s criminals, yes.” Chris said, holding flames.

“Look, I want to help you stop him. Dimentio’s going to destroy the Netherverse and wipe all of my people out! And the worst part is, he has practically the whole of the Nether race supporting him.”

“So we can assume they’ve got a big army?” Aurora said.

“Then your safest option would be requesting the other leaders for help.” Kayla told Nebula.

“No.” She stated, standing up. “I already risked their lives creating this whole mess, I won’t put ‘em in danger any more.”

“Honestly, that’s up to them to decide.” Aurora said. “A team doesn’t follow their leader out of orders, they choose to follow them on their own. If they have loyalty, they’ll follow you no matter what the danger. So if we asked the KND leaders, they’ll decide whether or not to help you. And even then, _their_ operatives may decide whether or not to _assist_. But if they don’t, the leaders will still help you, anyway. Even if you don’t want them to.”

“You sure know your stuff, Aurora.” Chris smiled.

“Leaders gotta know how to lead.” She shrugged.

“Well, I guess you’re right…” Nebula figured. “But even after blowing down their defenses, Dimentio won’t let us take the fragments that easily.”

“Then hope that your team is willing to lay down their lives as hard as they can.” MaKayla smiled. “If Dimentio won’t give it to us, we’ll give him a fight worth his power after 1,500,000 years.”

“Ummm…” Everyone turned to Jerome, who just appeared. “I hope it’s not a bad time, but I just warped to GKND H.Q. and sent a notice out to every available KND to gear up and get ready to fly in a giant expanding black hole. Also, I gave the general coordinates of this ship, so they should be appeariiiiiing now.”

It wasn’t long before a fleet of Glomourian, Kateenian, Irken, and Avalaran ships started appearing out of hyperspace. Nebula approached the windshield and gaped at their sheer numbers, and they were soon joined by Pumparian and Harnitan operatives as well. “Well, that saves us a chunk of time.” Dandy said. Nebula had a wide, grateful smile on her face.

**Approaching Bermuda Tetrahedron**

_“Dimentia, where are you going?!”_ Jeremy shouted from Dimentia’s monitor as the woman flew toward the storm. _“Galaxia’s about to be destroyed and you’re going to the ion storm??”_

“I realized there’s no running from my past. So there’s something I need to see. Oh, and, we’re about to lose communication.”

 _“I-”_ The terminal went to static as Dimentia entered the tetrahedron.

Soon, Dimentia made it to the Kreeli Comet and made her way to the IRIS Supercomputer. Once inside the chamber, she approached it cautiously. “Are you… IRIS?”

_“Why, if it isn’t Dimentia. You’ve grown so much since you were a baby. But not as much as I would expect in such a long timespan.”_

“Yeah, yeah. Look, my daughter told me you have a message from my parents. …So let it be played.”

 _“As you wish. Let the last request of Blumeré and Nosteré be fulfilled.”_ Her screen became static, and before Dimentia’s eyes, her parents’ images were shown.

 _“This is… a message to our children.”_ Blumeré spoke. _“Dimentia and Dimentio Winkiebottom. As you may be aware… we dropped you off at a circus when you were still very young. We just wanted to say… we’re sorry. And… sigh, you wanna take it from here? I’m no good in front of a camera.”_

 _“The truth is, due to being the head of the research team, and basically the whole tribe,”_ Nosteré continued, _“our family has a hard enough time as it is. But when our two children were born with the powers of space… I knew the Cragmites would be targeting us. But we never thought you children were burdens because of it… that’s not why we sent you away.”_

 _“We sent you away because we believed you were bound for so much more with your powers.”_ Blumeré continued. _“The Cragmites targeted our clan because of you, but even our own people wanted to harness your energy, too. We wouldn’t allow our children to be used as tools. True, a circus isn’t the best place to be raised… but as long as it was where no one else could find you. And we had faith you would become wiser over the years and seek your own destinies. Away from this doomed planet. You may make bad choices, you may make good ones. Run into hard times. But… if there’s anything we could ever ask for… it’s for you two to live. Live as long as you can, and we’ll always support you, no matter what. …Well, that went well. Wanna give it another go?”_

_“No, we have to be at Nontrem’s for tea.”_

_“Ugh, you know I can’t stand him.”_

_“Get over it, Dear.”_ The message ended.

“…Mom… Dad…” Dimentia held her head down. “You’re so… stupid. If you could see us now… you’d hate us.”

 _“I’m sure they would stand by their word.”_ IRIS said. _“And be happy with whatever paths their children have chosen.”_

“You don’t say.” Dimentia jumped and faced the entrance, gasping with horror.

Dimentio Winkiebottom smiled mischievously, stepping inside. “What are you doing here, Bro?!” his sister demanded.

“I was about to carry out my plan… when I decided I should pay my dear sister a visit. I had a feeling you would be here.”

Dimentia turned around. “Just go away. I don’t want to see you.”

“Please don’t be like that, Sis. Do you know how lonely I was… after you left? Zathura closed off to the rest of the universe?”

“…” Dimentia remained turned away. (Play “Gold and Oden (the first part)” from _One Piece_.)

Dimentio frowned with regret and closed his eyes. “In those days… working at that dreadful circus… you were the only one that meant anything to me. You were… my sister. And I roamed the stars in the hopes of seeing you again. Space… it was so vast. So magical… my bond with it grew stronger over the eons. I fell in love with it. But none of it compared… to my times with you.”

“…”

“Remember when we were young, Dimentia,” he smiled and looked up, “and we used to always play with the circus animals? Letting them out and getting into trouble? And when little Cherré got stuck in that fence, and the Longator started biting her? Or when those Magiblots were playing darkball and they threw into Old Man Yeller’s window? My, those were happy times. But there were bad times, too. Like when we had to fill in for the clowns, the same day they used manure in lieu of mud. Not to mention we had to clean up after elephants. And then that lousy boyfriend broke up with you, but I was there to comfort. All those things we did together! So before you decide you don’t wanna see me, just remember: we did it together!!”

“…”

Dimentio walked closer and held a hand beside her. “Dimentia… I want to do this with you, too. Please… destroy the Nexus with me. Share in this golden moment. I can make you a Logia… if you want to. Join your twin brother… for one last hurrah.”

“…” Dimentia couldn’t find the words. In her dreadful time on Zathura… Dimentio was always with her. He was her real link to good memories from the past. That’s why… she didn’t want to see him. Didn’t want to be reminded of Zathura. Dimentia reached back to take his hand, still facing away… but when she tried to grip it, her hand phased through. There was nothing but… empty space. (End song.)

_“Hm… if you became an adult… I would have to hate you, too. Good-bye… Dimentio.”_

It was then that realization came to her. The past was gone… and so was he. There was nothing to feel anymore. “No… you’re not… my brother…” she whipped around, “Not anymore! You’re empty, now… and evil! You’re going to destroy everything… and I want nothing to do with it! I almost destroyed the universe once already, I won’t help you do the same!”

“Ahhh, but why not? After all, I helped YOU do it the first time. Just what kind of creature do you think possessed Zathura?”

She immediately looked up, ridden with shock.

“You believed the gods sealed Zathura away because it was growing out of control, like some monstrous creature. Well… it was true. But only because _I_ was dwelling in there. After I became a Logia spacebender, I was unable to get back to Galaxia’s dimension, because Zathura was on a far point of the dimensional plane. But thanks to _you_ , Dimentia… I was able to escape!”

Dimentia’s eyes twitched furiously.

“You begged and pleaded me to grow and grow until the universe was swallowed in what was Zathura! And I’m proud to say, that’s exactly what I was gonna do!”

“…!” Dimentia gritted her teeth.

“AHA HA HA! But to think you were planning to make a whole NEW universe where only kids ruled! Thinking you were a GOD! But here’s a newsflash… the only god that was there was MEEE! And Jirachi. _I_ was gonna destroy the whole universe and leave NOTHING but empty SPACE! Even after living so long, you were still a kid, and BOTH your mind and spacebending were undeveloped. …It was unfortunate that Uno boy slew you when he did. Your monstrified body emitted a tremendous outburst of magic and Space Energy from Jirachi’s own chi, and it was surprisingly strong enough to send me to the Netherverse. But now I’ve escaped… because your DAUGHTER rebuilt the Dimensionator!”

“AHHHH!” Dimentia swung her fist, but it went through his head.

“I guess there will be no convincing you to join me. But perhaps your daughter may think differently. I shall await her grand appearance on her mission to try and stop me. Ciao.” He warped away. Dimentia only glared at the spot where he stood.

**_Aloha Oe_ **

The KND leaders boarded the _Aloha_ and gathered before Nebula. “Is this all that’s here?” she asked.

“’Far as we know.” Liaziana replied.

“It’s good enough.” MaKayla said.

“You sure? It’s not near as much as the Floran Invasion. And Dimentio’s _way_ stronger than Viridi.”

“Strength doesn’t always matter. Just go with it.”

“Okay.” Nebula approached the leaders and began to brief. “Long story short, my demented uncle has returned from the Netherverse and he’s going to use his Logia spacebending to destroy all the matter in the universe. He’s created a black hole directly to the Netherverse that is expanding and destroying Coruscant, but it ultimately won’t matter if he succeeds, so we need to fly inside and burst through his army to reach the Nexus where his operations are centered. Now all I’ll need you to do is clear the aerial defenses and maybe help us through the base a little so Sector V and I can get to Dimentio and take his helmet. Any questions?”

Nebula didn’t need an answer, for their confused faces said it all. “…What is this ‘matter’ you speak of?” the Irken leader, Giz asked.

“So we’re basically going to invade the Netherverse while you guys take out the leader.” Lia summarized.

“Just like Flora.” Nebula nodded. “The atmosphere and enemies may be a lot more dangerous though, so it’s your decision. But just know the fate of, not only the Kids Next Door, but the lives of every kid in the universe depend on this mission’s outcome.”

“Now that you said that, we have to come or we’ll feel guilty.” Griffin Firecrystal remarked.

“GIZ will agree to help, but ONLY because your inferior leadership requires Giz’s help!”

“And _I_ need to go so Lia doesn’t act like a bigshot.” Minksman said.

“And _I_ need to go to stop Minksman from stealing my spotlight.” Lia said.

“We’re with you all the way, Numbuh Eternal!” Griffin assured as they saluted. “For the Kids Next Door!”

“Hm hm hm hm! Thanks, you all.” Nebula smiled.

The _Aloha_ ’s TV screen became static as Sollyx’s face appeared. _“Eh, hello? Is this Nebula’s vessel? I hope I didn’t link with another senior citizen transport again.”_

“It’s us, Sollyx.” Nebula answered.

_“Well, just wanted to let you know everyone in the capital’s been evacuated and Dad and I are flying safely back to our planet.”_

“Change course and meet us in the black hole, your Kids Next Door is here and we’re going to invade the Netherverse.”

 _“Ahhh, fiddle nuggets!”_ Pollyx complained. _“I just hope I don’t have an allergic creation to all that cosmic energy.”_

Their screen shut off as Nebula continued, “We don’t have much time until Dimentio sets off the Nexus, so it’s time to do or die. All of you return to your armies and get ready for battle! Kids Next Doors, let’s GO!”

“YAAAAAY!” The leaders got back in their ships and left while the Aloha crew got in position.

While Aurora was getting ready, she noticed Dillon staring blankly out the window. “Hey, Dillon? I know you’re upset about Vanellope… but don’t worry! We’ll avenge her!”

“Oh, I’m not upset.”

“You aren’t?”

Dillon turned to her with a smirk. “Because she’s helping us, too.”

**Outside the Netherverse**

The _Aloha Oe_ was leading the way as the fleet of operatives flew directly into the expanding black hole. The leaders stood on the roofs of their ships, wearing space helmets, as they viewed the eerie, purple expanse. “I’m guessing this place doesn’t get much sunlight.” Lia assumed.

“You’re no prize in that sense, either.” Minks said.

“’Guess it doesn’t matter the Nimbis didn’t come.” Griffin figured. “Headfirst into a storm of their ultimate weakness, I could understand.”

“No sign of any Nethers, yet.” Nebula replied. “Just take it nice and steady ‘til we reach the-” But it wasn’t long before the fleet was swarmed by Netherships.

“And now there are.” Vendra remarked.

“All troops, prepare for battle!” Nebula called out. “Hold the Nethers off and give us enough time to reach the Nexus! The battle to save the universe begins NOW!” (Play “Assault on Dreadnaught” from _Kingdom Hearts II_!)

 

_Final stage: Netherverse_

_Mission: Stop Dimentio and save the universe!_

_Act 1: The Nether Storm_

Haylee did her best to drive the _Aloha_ and evade the Nethers’ blasts, but the large ship was an easy target. The Glomourian ships flew in to defend them as Lia launched powerful airwaves from her sword that curved around and destroyed a squad of Netherships. Netherwarriors stood on the tops of ships and blasted at Irkens, but Graab Membrane stood on top of Giz’s ship and punched the projectiles back with his giant mech-arms. A swarm of Netherflyers surrounded the _Aloha_ and readied to shoot, but a group of tiny Kateenian ships covered the Nethers like bugs and feasted on their energy.

They were approaching a swarm of giant Netherbrutes, massive Nethers that were bigger than the _Aloha_. The Avalarans flew in front, riding huge dragons (who served as their ships) with space helmets, which threw flames and other elements to counter the Brutes. Mostly, Griffin Firecrystal conjured a giant fire phoenix to have it burn away all the Netherbrutes, letting the _Aloha_ pass. “So why haven’t you kids taken over the universe, yet?” Dandy asked.

“’Cause our parents won’t let us.” Haylee joked.

“Ouch. I’d hate to see what _they’re_ like.”

A squad of Netherwarriors flying on Netherflyers blocked the route ahead and fired at once, but Vendra flew to the front of the _Aloha_ and conjured a huge Space Block to defend, and kept the Block up as they broke through the fleet. She lowered it when Giz swooped by to rapidly blast the Nethers, and a swarm of Netherbeasts; the creatures Nebula encountered in the rifts, were coming their way. When the swarm gathered, Vendra quickly caught them in a Space Block and exploded them.

“How close are we to the Nexus?” Nebula asked.

“One minute.” MaKayla replied. “Dimentio actually opened it pretty close.”

“Yeah, but something tells me Dimentio doesn’t feel like having visitors.” Haylee pointed out. Before their eyes was the massive Nexus surrounded by a giant Space Block, with the only opening being where the Space Energy seeped in. Just as well, more Netherbrutes were coming in, but Griffin and Lia were using their powers to breach openings in their structure, allowing Minksman and the Irkens to get in and destroy them from the inside.

“We can’t take a chance with flying through the Space Chi, but that barrier looks too powerful.” Haylee said.

“This reminds me when our parents had to break into Lucinda’s castle, and our dad breached the barrier due to forced superior piloting skills.” Artie recalled.

“Then what _we_ need is a superior pilot. Step aside.” Dandy said as he took the control seat from Haylee. “I’m rammin’ this baby through.”

“What?! Can you even make all of us survive?! How far can that Devil Fruit go?!”

“Kid, there comes a time in every man’s life when ya gotta grab hold of that thread and just let loose.” Dandy replied calm and coolly. “And I knew, from the moment I met you, I’d be doing something this impossibly reckless.”

“I’d like it if you do something that doesn’t risk our lives as well!!”

“Don’tcha see, Hayl… this is what they call destiny. Just thinkin’ of all the boobies you girls could develop just gives me the itches.”

“IS THAT YOUR WHOLE REASON FOR HELPING US?!” They all screamed.

“Okay, get ready for IMPACT! _ALOHA OE… AWAY!”_ The ship PIERCED the barrier’s exterior and left a gaping hole which they became stuck in.

“Hold on! I’ll lighten you guys up.” Minks called as his ship extracted a ray gun and fired at the _Aloha_ , shrinking the whole vessel to toy size. The team sailed through no problem, and Minks flew in after them to resize. “We’ll keep things covered in the air, Sir! Er, space. Good luck!” He returned to the fleet before the Space Block closed. (End song.)

The _Aloha_ landed on an open spot as the heroes finally stepped off, staring up at the tremendous structure. “So all that’s the unstable Space Energy the Nexus is channeling?” Haruka asked.

“It’s being channeled by Dimentio, now.” Vendra replied. “Any longer, his own bending might get totally mended with it.”

“Even if we take the Dimensionator _back_ , how on Earth can we defeat ‘im?” Harry asked.

“You have the answer… don’t you, Haru?” MaKayla smiled.

“Oh!” Haruka perked and pulled out the handcuffs. “I still have Caesar’s chi-blocking cuffs!”

“Yes! As you saw, chi-cuffs work on Logias, too. They can stop Dimentio’s bending no matter how powerful he gets.”

“Um… can one of you hold it?” Haru asked. “It’s making me woozy.” Kirie smiled and happily took the cuffs. “Thank you!”

“I’ll find him first and try to stall him! Catch up soon.” Vendra told them before flying to a higher entrance.

“Sis, wait!” Neftin made a terrific leap up the building to follow her.

“No use lettin’ them go alone.” Nebula said. “Let’s find Dimentio and stop him once and for all!” (Play “The Last Way” from _Shadow the Hedgehog_!)

_Act 2: The Nexus_

The heroes charged into the Nexus lobby as a group of Netherwarriors ambushed them and blasted cannons that emitted shockwaves upon impact. Nebula shot the T.O.P.M.A.N. at the first one and spun it around to whack another’s head, so he shot the previous in return. Mason and Haruka shrouded two more in gas clouds, letting Chris and Aurora set fire to and explode them. The remaining Nether fought through the smoke and searched around, but didn’t notice Bender above him as the robot held the Nether’s shoulders, stretched high, and shot down to knock the Nether out.

They approached sealed double doors which Bender bent down, the team entering a hallway swarming with Nethers. There was a crystal in front of Nebula that seemed to contain a Nega Wisp, so Nebula smashed it free and absorbed its dark power. “FRENZY!” She became a ravenous monster with a huge mouth and furiously munched through the crowd of Nethers in seconds.

She reverted to normal at the end of the hall and walked onto an outside balcony, where they viewed the Nexus Core. They grinded a purple rail downward and ended up on a set of three rails. The rails ended at some points and restarted later, but there were portals at those ends that took them to other parts of the rails, either further or backward. Some portals even took them to a new set of rails, otherwise the previous set would’ve kept looping. They ended up in several confusing loops that took at least 7 minutes to decipher before they made it into a new room. “Talk about a good timewaster.” Nebula commented.

In this room, a door was closed on the other side, and a pathway was over it, starting from the left side. At the end of that path, in the far right corner, was an electric switch, and another switch was near the left corner’s ceiling. There were Split Pads where they stood, so Nebula figured they needed to be shocked at once. While MaKayla, Bender, and Vweeb dealt with the Netherflyers, she split in two and had both halves float onto a Gravity Path along the left wall. She had the right half fall onto the walkway below them, and both halves followed their respective route. The two paths basically mirrored the other, as when the Nebula on the wall had to turn left, the other Nebula’s path went right, allowing them to shock both switches at once.

The door opened to another hallway with a bottomless chasm below them, and several portals opening and closing along the walls. A Space Light floated over the edge, so Nebula made a Space Block, but it was immediately sucked into a portal, and began to pop out of spawning portals, alternating the left and right walls as it moved down the hall. An easy puzzle, the group waited for the block to appear by them again so they could Wall Jump down as it went.

They arrived at a gigantic, chasm-like room flowing with Space Energy, and Netherbrutes flying all around. They crossed a glowing walkway to a small, floating platform, where two Netherflyers ambushed them. MaKayla threw a Time Bomb to slow the first one down while Bender stretched for the second one to bend its wings. It easily reshaped its wings and blasted Bender with a shock gun, making him spark and sizzle. But while his arms were up there, Vweeb was on them, and he jumped onto the Nether’s back to burn the wings’ base off with his ray gun. The Nether plummeted into the chasm, while MaKayla shoved her Chrono Staff into the other flyer’s mouth and blasted a laser, sending him falling as well.

Another path appeared to take them to a set of rows of three platforms, and stairs connecting them. When they got there, three Elite Netherwarriors appeared and started warping around the platforms, jumping at the group at random times to slam them with shockwaves. MaKayla jumped away and tossed a Time Bomb, but a Netherwarrior warped behind and punched her away. It jumped at her again, but she blocked with her staff before pushing it away, then starting a Time Recordance. She ran and did a jump attack which the Nether blocked, then restarted the Recordance so her second self could run behind and whack its rear. Third Time Recordance, she jumped and shoved her staff down its throat, readying to blast, and fourth, she ran and blasted its stomach while the previous shot down its throat, destroying it.

Bender grabbed another warrior’s arms and flipped overhead, getting behind to pull his arms back and tied them together. The Nether broke free and pulled Bender toward him, but the robot had his feet aimed as he KICKED the Nether and sent him over the edge. Nebula’s Nether tossed mechanical boomerangs at her, so she countered using N.I.N.S.T.A.R.s that pelted all over his head. Finally, she destroyed the Nether with a V.I.S.S.I.L.E., and the team continued up the stairs.

There was no door at the top, but a tiny opening that likely required the Space Shrink. They saw a mirror floated up from the chasm by the bottom-right platform, so they went down for Nebula to shrink them. The pathways were actually slightly higher than the platforms, preventing them from climbing up, but a glass pipe led to the middle bottom platform. From there, they followed a maze of glass pipes that eventually led to the tiny opening, taking them to a bright hallway overflowing with purple energy. A mirror was there to let them resize, and all that lay before them was a capsule holding a Boulder Wisp, and a two-rail track behind it.

“BOULDER!” Nebula absorbed the Wisp and pulled MaKayla and Vweeb in with her, leaving Bender to balance on top as they rolled along the track, whipping at high speeds like a roller-coaster as it took them outside. The track led all around the Nexus’s exterior, but there were gaps in the track, too. Bender gave the signal to jump when the gaps came, but was a little surprised when Netherbeasts shot up from below, eating track parts off in the process. They evaded those gaps okay, but Bender cried in fright when a giant Netherbeast was beginning to chase them, furiously munching the tracks on the way. Still balancing on the boulder, Bender threw punches back to keep him away, but ultimately shielded his eyes once he deemed it was hopeless. But, it became hopeful again, as they rolled into the core’s entrance and let the Nether slam against the side.

The track spiraled around an interior shaft before the Color Power finally wore off, and they grinded the rest of the way before they took firm land near a long stairway.

“Hold on! Where did Sector V go?” Vweeb asked.

“They took an alternate route.” MaKayla replied. “But they’ll catch up.”

This stairway was surrounded in blackness as a flow of Space Energy came from the ceiling, and shrunk in an hourglass style as it connected with a force at the top. The team dashed straight up the stairs, knowing their goal awaited at the top. In just moments, their final battle would begin. And there he sat, floating in a meditative fashion as the energy flowed directly into his Dimensionator. “There he is…” Nebula spoke lowly. “Dimentio Z. Winkiebottom. Uncle… your time has come!”

 

**Buuuuut not quite yet. X3 The whole of the final battle will be done in one chapter, quite different from Majora. If I bothered to make this stage any longer, this would’ve been too long. X3 So next time, we will finally ultimately battle Dimentio and save the universe. You know, kind of a funny story regarding this whole thing: Dimentio comes from _Super Paper Mario_ , where he worked for Count Bleck. In that game, Bleck’s goal was to destroy the universe and leave empty space, but Dimentio wanted to make a new universe where he was the ruler. And if you recall, that was Dimentia’s goal in _GALACSIA_ , but Dimentio’s goal is the same as Bleck’s, to leave empty space. So it’s really funny when you look into it! XD Anyway, later!**


	28. The Gods Clash Within Space

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Kids Next Door vs. Dimentio: the fate of all matter in the universe!

**Okay, welcome back, let’s kick Dimentio’s can and end this adventure!**

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Chapter 27: The Gods Clash Within Space

_**

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**Nexus Core**

Nebula, Vweeb, Bender, and MaKayla stood and stared as Dimentio meditated in place and absorbed the Netherverse’s energy. Lain defeated on the field were Vendra and Neftin’s bloody forms. “They didn’t even stand a chance…” Nebula spoke calmly.

“Oh, THAT’S it, pal!” Bender declared before stretching his left fist at Dimentio. The man merely opened a portal that the fist flew into, reopening beneath Bender as he punched his own crotch. “Ow! Why you little!” Bender grabbed his stretched fist with his other one and yanked it. “HAAAAAH!” As a result, he pulled himself into Dimentio’s portal and came out beside his friends again. “Where’d I go?”

“Ahhhh… and so you are here, like predictable snot-nosed kids trying to stop something important.” Dimentio spoke.

“Uncle Dimentio… this whole Nephew vs. the Uncle enemyship is really old. And the nieces, too.” Nebula said. “So why don’t you just stop now?”

“Ahhh… but why shouldst I… when I am on the verge of accomplishing my dream. That’s what beings were born for, Nebula… is it not. To have everything and live in harmony for the rest of your lives. And with endless space… nothing could be more peaceful. Don’t you agree… Nebula? Isn’t that always how you felt? Floating in the empty quietness… your mind _adrift_ , with _nothing_ to weigh it down. Not even air. That’s what eternal peace is for us, Nebula. Eternal solitude… and it can be _all_ ours. Nebula… your mother did not understand the beauty of space. But _you_ do. Join me… my niece. Enjoy endless space… with me.”

“And be alone with no one else, forever? No one can possibly live like that. Especially with someone you don’t like.”

“You don’t like? But Nebula… I am a Zathurian. I can tell you _all_ about your culture… what it was like. Before… you know.” He smirked.

“This whole thing started because I was trying to learn about my culture! But now, I don’t even care anymore. And besides… it’s the other cultures that I care about. Nightmares, Nimbi… demons. All of them… the reason the universe is so pretty is because it has so much. In all our short lifespans… we could never see it all. All the people, and unique structures that matter forms. You just don’t understand… because you were alone for most of your life. You’ve seen the dark side of space, where there’s no one to drift beside you. And I’ll…I’ll never let you get away with this.”

“Hmmm…” Dimentio still smiled. “Alone for most of my life, you say? No… Space was always my closest friend. It comforted me… after Dimentia had left. In that serene quietness… where sounds of crying and screams of pain, could never be heard. And the Nethers were so lucky to live in a realm like this. ’Tis why they allowed me to be their king. And ’tis why… I would free this place from its infernal prison. Even if these people had to die.”

“We’ve already gotten the gist of your intentions.” MaKayla stated sternly. “And we’ve known for a while we had to stop you. But there’s one thing… I just can’t figure out: How is it you were able to stay alive for this long?! Dimentia only remained alive using Jirachi’s magic… but even after death, she was revived by Clockwork’s timebending. Could that mean…”

Dimentio made a devious grin. “The truth is… I’m less alone than you think.”

MaKayla already knew… it was _him_.

“But it bears no relevance now… now that I am about to succeed. Ahhh… but how slow it’s taking. I need more…more Space Chi. It seems Vendra has used up her purpose.” And with that, Dimentio used anti-gravity to make Vendra float to him.

“NOOOO!” Team Nebula gasped when Neftin suddenly got to his feet and lunged at Dimentio from behind. The gorilla went right through, but grabbed his sister as they slid over to Nebula.

“Nnnnn…euh!” Vendra’s voice was hoarse, using the rest of her strength to raise her hand at Nebula. “Nebula… take…take my spacebending. Save my… people. Even if I can never see them… at least…

Nebula nodded and touched her hand to Vendra’s. Vendra’s hand seeped through via portal, and she allowed her Space Chi to flow into Nebula. With no energy left, Vendra passed out.

“Sis…” Neftin mournfully held her in his arms. “OOUH!” Dimentio shot his back with a Starburst, and the team stepped aside as he fell over.

“AHHHH HA HA haaaa! Entrusting my Space Chi to my niece? How perfect. Now the two of us are TRULY bonded by fate!” Dimentio exclaimed.

Nebula alit Starbursts in her hands. “Yes… except I’LL use it much BETTER.”

“Hah… and if lovely Vendra could not defeat me, what hope do you? Nebula…”

Vweeb quickly tapped Nebula’s neck and pointed up. She gasped and smirked with excitement. “The hope that… only snot-nosed kids dream about! NOW!” (Play “Closing Battle” from _Super Paper Mario_.)

 

_Boss fight: Dimentio Z. Winkiebottom_

Dimentio looked up and gasped when Chris Uno fell from the ceiling, dodging away quickly before the boy could grab the Dimensionator. He tossed quick fireballs that went through Dimentio, who swiftly evaded again before Bender stretched from behind to try and grab the Dimensionator. Dimentio turned as Nebula flew at him, throwing Starbursts that he absorbed, but she warped behind to induce him with Space Lightning, in which he grabbed her hands to once again absorb this. She distracted him so MaKayla could run up from behind, jump, and BASH the back of his head with her staff.

Dimentio warped across the field and hovered over the chasm as he stretched his arms to the sides, sticking them through portals as many portals appeared around the room. The kids hurriedly dodged as a storm of Starbursts started whipping from the portals. Chris and Aurora tossed flames inside them, but they only shot back out of other random portals. Haruka saw a portal where Dimentio’s hand stuck out, so she fired a gas blast inside that went to Dimentio’s face. The Zathurian shook the gas away, but gasped when George leapt over in attempt to kick both feet against his face.

Dimentio warped again, leaving George to fall in the chasm, but Dillon flew by to rescue him. When Dimentio reappeared, Nebula flew over and trapped him in a Space Block, attempting to at least blow up the Dimensionator. She exploded it, but when the smoke cleared, Dimentio was already gone, having warped behind Nebula. “You should know such petty moves won’t work on me.”

“Yeah, I know. That’s why it’s good to set up petty traps.”

“Whuh-?!” Dimentio’s face was suddenly blocked by Dillon’s, who stuck through Dimentio’s body to make him look like he had Dillon’s face.

“Look at me! I’m the King of Space!” Dillon joked as Dimentio tried to shake him out.

“OUT of there!” He threw Dillon away.

“Now, Kirie!” Chris bounced his agile friend upward as she fell to Dimentio with the chi-cuffs ready, but he zipped away within a heartbeat.

“Tricked AGAIN!” Sheila yelled as Bender flung her directly at the Dimensionator. “AAAHHHH-!” Sheila grabbed it precisely, except her hands and body phased right through. “Oh?” She hit the ground.

“We can’t touch it!” Chris exclaimed.

“Of course.” Dimentio smirked. “Any clothing the Logia is wearing becomes Logia, too. Which is perfect for absorbing the energy in this case.”

“This is impossible!” Chris yelled. “If George and MaKayla are the only ones that can hurt ‘im, we’ll never win unless we get those chi-cuffs on.”

“We have to keep trying!” Nebula declared. “If anything, he can’t keep track of all of us.”

“Ahhhh… ’tis true. Which means maybe I need some extra help.” Dimentio whipped out some cards from under his clothes, throwing them across the ground. “It’s time for some… MAGIC!” On his command, monsters emerged from the cards, and the kids had to fight against Blastboxers, Zoing-Oings, Gawbuses, and Chromebas.

“And to make things worse, he’s a duelist!” Artie said as he dodged a Gawbus’s bite.

“So he uses Zathurian Catch Cards, huh?” MaKayla observed, bashing a Longadile’s stretched head.

“Ahhh, how long it’s been since I was able to use them.” Dimentio smiled. “I would love to give them a more breathable atmosphere soon. Ohh-?” Nebula shot over and tried to pelt him with Starbursts, but he dodged before slipping behind and trying to jab his fingers through her back. Nebula warped behind and channeled a surge of gravity on the side of the field, but it had no effect on Dimentio as he grabbed and threw her against it. She recovered in time to dodge his punch, then tried to lessen the gravity around his Dimensionator.

Dimentio put the gravity right back, then opened his cloak up to reveal his portal body, which began to suck Nebula inside. She warped away as Dimentio began to search for her again. Nebula had shrunken herself and was clutching the back of his shirt-collar, and Dimentio smirked when he barely felt her. He didn’t have a chance to attack as MaKayla flipped overhead and whacked him toward the field, then ended up plummeting into the chasm. Nebula quickly re-expanded and tried to save her, but Dimentio channeled gravity to pull her away, making her horrified as MaKayla fell. MaKayla smirked and merely restarted the Time Recordance, so when the first clone whacked Dimentio to the battlefield, she would run underneath and throw her staff against his crotch.

She restarted the Recordance so the third her would leap above and kick down on his head forcefully, knocking him against the ground. MaKayla landed before him and twirled her staff before aiming to shove it in his mouth. However, a Longadile stretched from the side and pushed her away, and Dimentio smirked as he stood up. He saw Nebula flying at him again with fists alit with Space Chi, so the two began to punch against the other before Nebula’s fists were caught in his palms. Dimentio grinned maliciously while Nebula gritted her teeth in anger, trying desperately to push him back. Dimentio’s strength prevailed as he zapped her with Space Lightning, and he warped behind quickly to grab Nebula and stick his hand through her back.

“Nebula!” George gasped as the Space Chi was pulled right out of her body. He ran to throw a Time Blast, but Dimentio warped to the field’s center and added it to the Dimensionator.

“AHH HA HA haaaa! With my full power restored… I am only seconds away from controlling the Nexus!”

Chris finished off a Tileoid before crying, “No!”

“Now, children… in your last moments of life, see what true power really is. Feel that utmost pain as every piece of your matter is torn to nothingness! And-…” (Play “Emergence of Talents” from _Naruto: Shippuden_.)

The children stared in confusion as Dimentio seemed to freeze in place. His eyes appeared to be twitching, and they could see his whole body quaking. His face bore a look of horror and madness as he stared at his trembling hands. “…What is _**HAPPENING TO MEEEEE**_?”

The kids were still clueless… but when they listened closer, they could hear a faint tune. _“Mooonkeeey leeeeaches, SOOOUR peeeaches, oooonigiiiri’s SAAAABADOO!”_

It was a cheerful, nonsensical voice that filled Dillon with delight. “It’s…IT’S HER!”

Dimentio gripped his head furiously as an annoying voice sang in his brain, in a Beethoven-like rhythm. _“Cheeeerry poppers, GOOBBLE stoooppers, meats and stakies IIIN my tum! Bartholomew neckers, I LOVE checkers, although I can’t really underSTAAAND a thing!”_

“Guys, it’s Vanellope!” Dillon exclaimed. “She’s infected the Dimensionator!”

“Now’s our chance!” Aurora exclaimed as they ran at him and tried to attack at once, but Dimentio flew away, still trying to control himself. Kirie leapt at him with chi-cuffs, but he warped away frantically, then dodged when Sheila jumped above him and attempted to smash down. MaKayla dashed at him and WHACKED him across the chin with her staff, then she restarted the Time Recordance so she could get behind and kick him forward. With that, George hurried over and sent Dimentio away with a Time Blast.

“Can we really keep this up for long?” Aurora asked.

“Hopefully we won’t have to. Sollyx should be here soon…” Dillon spoke hopefully.

“Guys, guys, I made it!” called the spider alien himself as he skittered up the stairs. “Dillon, I was able to design the Program to serve as Vanellope’s vessel! Whenever she’s ready!”

“You heard ‘im, Vanel.” Dillon said with a cool smile. “It’s time to end this.”

“GYAAAAAAAHHH!” The Dimensionator began to sparkle furiously as Vanellope caused it to malfunction.

Inside Dimentio’s brain, sparks flew everywhere as a miniaturized version of the glitchy girl zipped from wall to wall as a pixelly beam of light. “Lickety-Split Lightspeed KICK!” She zipped faster and faster, and overpowered the Dimensionator’s circuitry.

“AAAAAaaahhh!” The Dimensionator exploded, knocking Dimentio down as the helmet rolled off his head, stopping before Nebula. The Zathurian recovered and gasped as MaKayla jumped and shoved her staff’s head into his mouth. Before she could fire, Dimentio blasted her away, but failed to notice Vweeb was on the staff, and he slid down Dimentio’s throat.

“Kids, watch whatchu eat!” Vweeb smirked, charging his ray gun. “Powuuuuh SHOT!”

“GYUUH!” Vweeb pierced a hole through Dimentio’s stomach, using it to hop out as the man fell unconscious. (End song.)

Nebula picked the device up as smoke emerged from it. The team looked as Dimentio lay defeated, a smoking hole in his stomach. “So it’s finally done…” Chris said lowly.

After Vanellope’s essence entered Sollyx’s computer, she possessed the Program he made for her as she emerged beside her friends. “HOO, you should’ve SEEN how messed-up that guy’s brain was.”

“It was probably better than his stomach.” Vweeb remarked.

“Alright, then… let’s finish him off.” Harry said. Kirie nodded and walked over to put the cuffs on.

_“Ha… ha ha ha.”_

They flinched when Dimentio warped and appeared above them. (Play “The Ultimate Show” from _Super Paper Mario_.) “It doesn’t matter… if the Dimensionator is no more. You are… too late.” His psychotic eyes shot open. “I have already absorbed enough Space Chi to merge with the Nexus BY MYSELF! At last, I can truly become one with the Nexus and eliminate all the matter by the flick of a wrist! AHHAAA!” He threw his arms up as a tremendous surge of Space Energy flew into the heavens.

The operatives fighting outside watched as a purple beam sprouted up from the Nexus, and the entire station began to reshape. Gigantic arms and legs formed from the structure, and it fully reshaped to make Dimentio’s gigantic image. The purple structure also recolored to make dark-blue and yellow crystals, forming Dimentio’s spiky gown. His jester’s hat was also giant, pointed crystals, and crystals emerged from his shoulders as shoulder-blades.

 _“I am… GOD Dimentio. The unstable Space Energy… is MINE to control. And all the matter in the universe… is NO MORE!”_ He unleashed many beams of energy across the Netherverse, striking several asteroids and planets.

**Planet Earth**

A public pool was frolicking with children, innocently playing volleyball, swimming, the usual stuff. “…Huh? WAAAH!” One kid screamed when his body began to glow pink. Soon, the whole town was erupting with shrieks as their bodies began to crack apart.

**Great Clock**

The Great Clock was shaking furiously as these pink cracks appeared around as well. “GYAAAAH! It’s happening! IT’S REALLY HAPPENING!” Sigmund screamed. “…What’s happening, Sir?”

“The Nexus is breaking.” Jagar replied solemnly. “If the Clock falls… will the lock hold?”

**Netherverse**

“WAAAAH!” The group fell into the chasm during the transformation, but were thankfully rescued by Dandy in the _Aloha Oe_.

“What the hell did this bastard become?!” he asked.

“The station, what does it look like?!” Nebula yelled.

“He’s already destroying all the matter.” MaKayla replied. “And I can feel the Great Clock failing as well. At this point, even chi-blocking wouldn’t do much.”

 _Well, THAT just BLOWS._ Kirie huffed, throwing the cuffs on the floor.

“How are we supposed to fight him?” Nebula asked.

“YOU can fight him, Nebula. Using the power of the fragments.”

Nebula looked at the fragments still on the Dimensionator. “What’re THEY gonna do? He has control over the Nexus.”

“The fragments are part of the Nexus, too. They possess the powerful energy from the Netherverse, power which can be controlled by you.”

“Can’t he just absorb the power, anyway?”

“Just _touch_ them and focus.”

Nebula sighed and laid her hand on the fragments, then closed her eyes. (End song.) She could feel the faint, but strong energy emitting from the crystals.

“Nebula… you are Supreme Leader Numbuh Eternal. You lead the greatest organization in the universe, one that will last for eternity. Under your command, many alien children risk their lives defending the worlds from tyranny. Your leadership, and their loyalty to you, is the source of your spacebending. You, who are the most accepting of cultures, and knows the true beauty of the universe. Your internal space is very wide, with all the friends and followers you have. All elements have a light and dark side to them, whether the physical sense or the spiritual. In Space… the dark side is its vast emptiness. Where nothing exists. But its light side… is filled with things that would take up space. And makes that space beautiful. When applying this to the Logia… the elemental and personal chi could side with Light or Darkness. Dimentio’s chi… is within the dark. But your chi, even without becoming Logia, can prevail if it is within the light.”

_Her head flowed with many memories. On Star Haven, when she was 5 years old, she lied on the ground and stared wonderingly at the starry heavens. When she was 9, she officially started the New GKND. She stood in Galactic Kid Council as the many alien leaders cheered for her announcements. She giggled at teeny-tiny Vweeb saluting her order. All around them, the KND operatives were swarming the Nethers under their leader’s command, and the Sector V team behind her, as well as her own ops, put all of their faith in her._

Nebula fully absorbed the energy from the fragments as her body brimmed with a purple aura. She grabbed the crystals and squashed them together, forming a purple glowing sword. “It’s never complete without the sword.” Artie commented.

Nebula flew out and caught her own body inside of a frame. She held her hands in that fashion and stretched them apart, and the kids gaped as her body increased in size. She opened her eyes and stared furiously at Dimentio, but her enhanced size was still only one-fourth Dimentio’s.

“Dang, she STILL don’t look all that big.” Harry pointed out.

“Then maybe someone needs to help her look bigger.” MaKayla smirked. She twirled her staff and stuck it to the ground, channeling a powerful surge of Time Chi. She was soon glowing with light-blue aura, and she jumped off the _Aloha_ as well and flew to Nebula, giving a nod. Nebula caught her in a frame and expanded the timebender to an equal size. The others gaped with astonishment as both giant girls brimmed with power (and needless to say, Jerome and George felt a little inferior). They were Queen of Space Nebula, and Queen of Time MaKayla. The girls focused their sights on Dimentio and began their final clash. (Play Perfect Dark Gaia’s Theme from _Sonic Unleashed_!)

 

_Final boss: God Dimentio_

Nebula and MaKayla flew to Dimentio’s face as the god unleashed a storm of massive Starbursts, but the two evaded as Nebula shot up and struck Dimentio’s face with the sword. MaKayla flew above and attempted to strike down, but Dimentio warped and smashed both girls in a giant clap. They were dizzied, allowing Dimentio to smack them several miles away, and they recovered to try and fly at him again. Dimentio formed a storm of portals that flung meteors at them, and MaKayla flew in front to whack all the meteors away with her staff. Dimentio then sent a fleet of Netherbeasts, which began furiously munching Nebula and MaKayla’s limbs.

While they were distracted, Dimentio was creating a tremendous vortex that would launch a beam of Space Lightning. MaKayla shook the Nethers away before swinging her staff to draw an hourglass, sending it at Dimentio to freeze him in time. Nebula sliced her Nethers off before warping to the entity and countering with her own Space Lightning, strong enough to make Dimentio cease. The shock didn’t effect him until the Stop wore off, in which he shook furiously. When the shock wore off, MaKayla flew to him and whacked across the face with her staff, then Nebula trapped his head in a Space Block to blow it up.

Dimentio shook to his senses and warped behind to grab both girls in his hands. He induced them with Space Lightning, but Nebula broke free and SLICED his left hand clean off, letting giant blood float everywhere. He released MaKayla on impulse, and she flew upward before starting a Time Recordance. She flew down and came up to whack Dimentio upside the chin. She restarted so her second clone could go beside his ear and shoot a laser directly through. The third clone flew beside Nebula as both took hold of both weapons, spinning like a drill as they flew at his chest. They unfortunately missed as he teleported and opened his body to make a black hole, sucking the two inside.

In his spiraling vortex, Nebula and MaKayla were pelted furiously by Space Lightning, and when they were thrown out, Dimentio caught them in a Space Block and exploded them. The two weakly recovered as another swarm of Nethers were sent at them, but they defeated them with their weapons before focusing on Dimentio again. He made a bunch of portals appear that stretched out crystals, attempting to block their path, and as they evaded, they ended up trapped. While looking for a way out, Dimentio’s eyes appeared around the crystals, and they were instantly pelted by purple lasers as the crystals shattered. With that, Dimentio separated to multiple clones with a Space Split, and all clones flew around while throwing Starbursts at them.

Nebula evaded and split herself to multiple copies, sending each one after a Dimentio. They countered the clones with Starbursts until MaKayla drew a bunch of hourglasses and sent them at the clones, freezing them all. The Nebulas all channeled a surge of Space Lightning and imbued their swords with it, afterwards slicing the Dimentios diagonally. The entities felt terrible pain before forming back together, and Nebula did the same before dodging another crystal attack. Dimentio warped away and made even bigger portals appear beneath them, bringing up huge, abandoned space stations. He centered the gravity around Nebula and Kayla to have the stations fly at them.

Nebula repelled the stations and centered gravity on Dimentio, having them fly at him instead. Dimentio created a black hole to suck them all in, but when it closed, Nebula and MaKayla flew at him and struck his face with both weapons. Angered, Dimentio warped behind and teleported Nebula far away. MaKayla tried to attack, but Dimentio grabbed and crushed her in his remaining hand, then hurled her into the chasm. Nebula returned and aimed to pierce her sword through his chest, but he knocked the weapon away before slamming Nebula down below.

 _“No more… games…”_ Dimentio spoke darkly. _“All you kids are… USELESS matter. Matter which serves no purpose in the clean, perfect realm. I will destroy you all… in the blink of an EYE!”_ The realm trembled as pink cracks formed on everybody’s bodies.

“EEEAAAACK! My reality’s breaking apart!!” Sollyx screamed.

“Boy, this is going to hurt…” Liaziana spoke.

“COME ON, NEBULA! HURRY UP OR WE’RE ALL TOAST!” Minksman screamed.

“YOU CAN DO IT, SIIIIS!” Jerome exclaimed.

“Nnnnn!…” Nebula’s body was cracking as well, and she barely had the strength left.

 _“HA HA HA HAAAA! IT’S NO USE! IT’S THE END FOR ALL OF YOU! In the end, your leader has failed you! Failed to save what she treasured most. And now… you are ALL-”_ (End song.)

“STOP!” Dimentio immediately froze in time by MaKayla’s power. Her body was cracking as well as she weakly trembled, while still floating in place. “I don’t have enough strength for any more attacks. You have 30 seconds. It’s now or never Nebula, hurry!”

Thinking quick, Nebula completely ignored the pain and flew at the entity, planting her hand against his chest. She focused intently, forming an expanding black hole within his heart. “ENDLESS VORTEX! ONE _TRILLION_ LIGHT-YEARS PER SECOND!!!”

The vortex spiraled faster than the eye could see, and Dimentio’s heart spun with it. The Stop was still active, so it didn’t take effect… yet. (Play “Can’t Escape, Fight (the first part)” from _One Piece_!)

“20 more seconds…” MaKayla smirked. “Everybody ready?”

“TWENTY!” the Glomourians cheered.

“NINETEEN!” yelled the Kateenians.

“Eighteen!” the Avalarans followed.

“Seventeen!” cheered the Irkens.

“Sixteen! Fifteen! Fourteen! Thirteen!” The fleet of aliens cheered.

The _Aloha_ crew finished. “TWELVE! ELEVEN! Ten! Nine! Eight! Seven! SIX! FIVE! FOUR! THREE! TWO! _ONE!!”_

Dimentio’s heart surged with the most horrendous pain imaginable. Spinning faster than the eye could see, even the speed of light seems rivaled. It wouldn’t stop… just kept spinning and spinning. In all his years of immortality, loneliness, and Logia invincibility, he’s never truly understood pain… until now.

Dimentio lost consciousness several minutes before the vortex actually stopped. The flow of his powerful chi ceased, and he began to shrink back to his regular form. The natural color and shape of the Nexus returned, although it was a little broken. “Finally…” MaKayla breathed as the gaps on her body vanished. “It’s done.” Everybody smiled with relief when their bodies returned to normal.

Nebula smiled as she returned herself and MaKayla to their regular size. They and the others flew back to the Nexus to find Dimentio’s bloody and beaten body. (End song.)

Kirie smiled innocently and put the chi-cuffs around his wrists. Nebula raised her Nexus Sword skyward (or is it spaceward) and released its essence back to the Nexus. “With the fragments finally returned, the Nether Rifts will begin to close. The Nexus can repair itself of any other damages.” MaKayla said.

“Good for it.” Artie remarked.

It was then the region began trembling. “But the entrance we used to get here is closing. We must leave now.”

“Kids Next Door, MOVE OUT!” Nebula declared. “Somebody grab Dimentio!”

Harry and Haylee carried off this task, lifting Dimentio above them by his back. The entire fleet of operatives were able to escape before the portal closed. Dimentio was lain on the _Aloha_ ’s sofa, awake and barely able to move. “I really don’t feel safe having that guy on my ship.” Dandy stated.

“Well, what’re we going to do with him?” Haylee asked. “I don’t feel right _killing_ him the way he is, but…”

“He needs to stand trial.”

“What?” They all faced Nebula confusedly.

“He’ll stand trial before Galactic Court. After they hear what happened, he’ll be given a legal execution. That way… we can’t feel guilty.”

“If that’s what you say… Supreme Leader, Sir.” Haylee shrugged.

“Nnn, actually… how ’bout you guys do it, I’m feeling a little…” Nebula fainted.

“Hmm… I guess it’s expect for someone to crash like that after exerting a huge amount of power.” MaKayla smiled. “I’m feeling a little dizzy myself.”

“Still, taking on a Logia spacebender… Did you all see what he was _like_? These girls know their stuff.” Chris said.

“The truth is, Nebula never would’ve stood a chance with her own chi.” Kayla replied. “If it wasn’t for the fragments, that would’ve been it for us. Even _I_ couldn’t defeat him by myself.”

“So we basically got off lucky.” Chris concluded. “I can’t imagine fighting anyone else like that.”

“You don’t have to worry about that now. Let’s do as Nebula instructed and take him to Coruscant.”

Dimentio heard it all… but didn’t have anymore strength. This was his last voyage. _I see… so… this is how it ends._

**Galactic Council Courtroom**

Reconstruction on Coruscant was taking place, and as Nebula wished, Dimentio was put on trial in Galactic Council. And Jeremy happened to be the prosecutor, speaking while the cuffed Zathurian was slumped against his desk.

“Your honor, it has been proven that this man was, not only responsible for the destruction that just took place, but was _also_ the culprit behind the expanding black hole that appeared 20 years ago. He is a Zathurian and the brother of Dimentia Winkiebottom, whom has been framed for Dimentio’s actions. May I also note that Dimentio is a Logia-level spacebender, and possesses powers too dangerous for him to be kept alive. For that reason, I recommend the death penalty.”

“Hmm… does the defendant have anything to say?” Judge Mavari Zudan asked.

Dimentio sat up, sporting his mischievous smile. “I have… no regrets.”

“Very well. I sentence Dimentio to an immediate, private execution in Zordoom Prison.” She banged the gavel. “Now returning to the trial regarding MomCorp, the jurors recommend suing them for 35 million in reparations.”

**Dressrosa; Secret Laboratory**

Doflamingo and his kids finally brought Caesar home to Dressrosa. They brought Caesar to a dark, secret laboratory filled with Bang Gas and other toxic chemicals. “Here it is, Caesar… your new workspace.” Doflamingo said. “We’ve acquired plenty of DNA from other benders, too. Only this time, you’ll be able to ship them anywhere.”

“Shurororo… oh, Doffy-sama.” Caesar wept.

“The underground transport tunnels are still intact, too, so delivering to other lands will be easy.”

 _“RAAAAAH!”_ At that moment, a giant harpy-like monster shot up from a back entry, growling furiously at Caesar.

“Ohh! Hello, Monet!” He grinned.

“Better make her some antidote.” Doffy said.

“Cough, cuuh.” coughed Vergo, riding Monet’s back. “And a paramedic.” His stomach was still pierced.

**Zordoom Prison**

Dimentio Winkiebottom was taken to the deepest wing in the prison, passing Agatha Trunchbull in a cell of her own. Dimentio was chained to the wall of Dimentia’s former cell as a group of guards took aim with guns.

_I never thought… it would end like this. But my time… has come._

The guns cocked.

_I’m sorry… English._

The troops let fire, and Dimentio was a bloody corpse. With his death… the only living remnant of Zathura was Dimentia. But she had forgotten all about it. Her past was gone… all that was left was her future. Her future… with her husband and kids.

 

**Finally, someone dies in this story. Hoooo, but what a battle that was. What bending can become at the level of a Logia. Truly a godlike power. But with all the conflict done with, let’s get on with the happy ending! Well… almost happy. Next time, the epilogue. Later.**


	29. Destiny Calls

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The aftermath of the climactic battle.

**Ahhhh, what an action-packed time this has been, everyone! But now it’s time to bring this story to a close.**

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Chapter 28: Destiny Calls

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**Coruscant Hospital**

After the fight was over, Nebula couldn’t keep from passing out. She heard a monitor beeping and figured she was in a hospital as she opened her eyes to view a ceiling. She also noticed that Vweeb was standing over her with a smile. “I didn’t shrink, did I?” she randomly asked. But then she noticed Vweeb was only standing on her face, over her left eye.

“No, but it would’ve been nice.” Vweeb replied as he dropped to her lap, letting her sit up. “You’ve been out for 2 days; doctor says you can get up now. The others are out on the balcony.”

Nebula saw most of her body was wrapped with bandages when she pulled the covers off. “What, did the Osirins work on me?” she joked.

“No, but be thankful they managed to fix you with all those reality gaps in your body.” He smirked.

“Oh yeah. What happened to the Prog twins?”

“Vendra and Nef survived, too, but Vendra’s spacebending is gone. You and your mom got yours back, though. But come on, you’re probably tired of resting so much!” He jumped off excitedly.

After getting dressed, she and Vweeb walked onto a balcony that faced the morning sun, rising over the distant city. A few gray clouds hung over the horizon, but the sun still shone through them as Nebula overlooked the construction below. “Boy, Coruscant sure heals fast.”

“Yeah.” Aurora replied. “MaKayla used another huge surge of timebending to put all the buildings back where they belong. They’re still wrecked from the Cragmites’ attack, but they got the Drophyds to fix them. And MomCorp, too. Then she sent all the Cragmites back to their time before she and George returned to Great Clock.”

“So in the end, it’s a happily ever after.” Nebula figured. But it was then she noticed her mother standing on the edge, her hair blowing in the breeze. Nebula stood beside her, letting her own hair blow, as she noticed her mother’s head down in remorse. “…You still cared for him… didn’t you?”

“…He was my brother. The only family I had… from the old days. But it doesn’t matter now. It’s all in the past…” She sported a smile.

“Hmm…” Nebula gave a light chuckle.

A few feet away, Vendra stood on another ledge as she looked at her hands. “I learned about my culture… but in the end, it didn’t feel like home.” she said as Neftin approached her. “But you know… as long as I’m with you, Nef, any home will feel like home.”

Neftin looked at her emotionlessly, then spared a glance to Jerome, who nodded. “In that case…” Neftin instantly lifted her over his shoulder, “we’re going to jail.”

“What?! But we just got vindicated, why do we have to go??”

“’Cause it’s our responsibility.”

“Screw all that!! Can’t we just be criminals again?”

“No.”

“Awwwww!”

“Hold on there.” Dandy smirked as he got in their way. “There’s somethin’ I need you guys for first.” With a curious look, the criminals followed him.

“Oh yeah.” Nebula perked. “Where’s the Dimensionator?”

“Right here.” Bender said as he pulled the helmet from his compartment. “The gems are gone, so… you won’t make much money off it.”

Nebula took the device and stared at it with remorse. “Sorry, Nebula.” Aurora told her.

“It’s okay. I gave the gems back for a reason. Maybe control of the elements should be left to the gods, anyway. This thing brought nothing but trouble.”

“Yeah… but on the bright side, you always got me: Bender.” The robot assured.

“Hm hm, what would make me happier?” Nebula smiled.

“So what’s Coruscant gonna do without a chancellor?” Haylee asked.

“Since Percival Tachyon was ‘destroyed’ in glorious battle, we had another election, and after a unanimous decision, Nebra Phyronix won by default.” Jerome explained.

“Good riddance.” Nebula proclaimed.

They looked as Arianna’s Nova Cruiser was coming down, alongside a familiar R.O.A.D.S.T.A.R.. Tronta and Arianna stepped off their vessel, and none other than Cheren hopped out of his. “Hey guys, long time, no see!”

“WHERE WERE YOU?!” Nebula shouted.

“Sorry I didn’t get your call, I kinda had a doctor’s appointment! Ha ha ha!” He grinned sheepishly.

“Uuuugh. All right, hold still, I’m gonna Space Shrink you.” She held her hands ready.

“Hey-hey-hey, hold on, hold on!” Cheren grabbed her wrists. “We have a surprise for you first!”

“Hm?” She cocked a brow.

“We do.” Dimentia nodded. “On Planet Wisp. We’ll meet you there.” She got in Cheren’s R.O.A.D.S.T.A.R. as they took off.

“You can take our cruiser.” Arianna smiled. “We’ll fly ahead, too.”

Jerome nodded and boarded the ship fir-

“I call shotgun!” Bender exclaimed, running on first. Sorry if I misled you. Nebula looked suspicious as she boarded next, and Vweeb was about to follow, until-

“Vweeb, wait!” Arianna stopped him. “Um…” She bore a sheepish smile and shifted on her feet. “MaKayla mentioned how you helped her against Vendra… and how brave you were… and, well… I’ve always really admired that about you… if I didn’t mention. Hm hm!”

“Well, I know I got style.” he said coolly.

“Hm-hm, yes, well… I was wondering… if… you and I could do something together. Just the two of us. Like… a restaurant.” She became more red with each word.

“Heheh, I know what you’re trying to say. And… to tell the truth, I kinda felt the same way.”

“Hehe…”

“But… the thing is… I might’ve only felt that way because you were pretty. No offense, but… you’re kind of weak-willed.”

“Oh?…” She frowned.

“I mean, I still like you the way you are, just… as a friend. But, I think, my ideal girl is… someone with more tenacity. You know?”

“Well… I can see why you’d like a girl like that. But… who did you have in mind?”

“Oh, no one in particular. But, see you at Wisp!” He ran onto the Cruiser, and Arianna watched as he climbed to Nebula’s shoulder, the leader sparing a smile.

“Hm…” Arianna smiled before boarding Sector V’s C.O.O.L.-B.U.S. with her brother. Haylee started its engines and took to the stars.

**Corporate President Headquarters**

_“Mom has certainly costed us quite a bit in our maximum budget.”_ spoke an Asian member.

 _“Told you those robots would be nothin’ but trouble. Shoulda hired someone ELSE to do all her work. Like…Like hookers! That’s be_ sweeeeet _!”_ a gruff old man said.

 _“And after all she’s done, the Head President STILL wants her to be a member! A waste of money, if you ask me!”_ a middle-aged man yelled, his holographic body fizzling.

 _“With the exclusion of President Business, I can understand her judgment.”_ the Asian replied. _“We need all the help we can get.”_

 _“But didn’t Doflamingo have something to do with this?”_ the old man asked. _“Where the hell’s that bastard been?”_

 _“Both of them will be back soon.”_ a female spoke as her shadow appeared on a screen behind them. _“But due to the victory in Galaxia, we are ordered to keep maximum watch on the Kids Next Door’s actions from now on.”_

 _“If that’s what the Rulers say… Miss High President.”_ the old man replied.

**Candied Island; Big Mom Pirates’ Lair**

_“Whaaaaaat?! So Doflamingo got to Caesar before WE did?!”_

“Heh heh, now now, Mama, there was a whole _invasion_ goin’ on.” Nickel Joe told her. “Of course we couldn’t get through in time.”

“Arrrr, and attackin’ a Corporate President not be in our best interests, considering we already killed one.” Black John followed. “’sides, we ‘ave plenty of Devil Fruits to last us.”

_“I hope so… I’ve grown tired of waiting. I want a new birthday cake NOW. But more importantly… I want to feast on that KND BRAT!!”_

“Eaaaasy Mama.” Augustus replied. “You’ll get what you want. And I know the very first place you should look.”

 **Planet Wisp** (Play “To the Grand Line (the first part)” from _One Piece_.)

The team sat in patience on the flight to Planet Wisp, with Nebula’s head down in thought. “What’s the matter, Nebula?” Vweeb asked.

“Looking back… I kind of formed the New GKND out of selfish reasons, too. I didn’t realize it until I met Dimentio… but my family’s nuts. Maybe I wanted to protect kids everywhere… to show that I wasn’t as crazy as them. But I almost ended up like my uncle and Tachyon.”

“Yes. But when it came to it, you have proven to be a marvelous leader.” Jerome said. “One who puts her team before anything else. I’m sure _your_ daughter would love to take after you.”

“Hm hm, maybe. ’Cause I sure don’t take after MY mom.”

The Cruiser landed as the hatch opened, and Dimentia and Cheren stood before them. “Numbuh Eternal:” Cheren began. “Your organization.” And Nebula fell utterly speechless at the legions of operatives cheering away. The Glomourian Kids Next Door, Kateenians, Irkens, Nimbi, and even the Amazonians, Legoans, and Osirins. Across the distant, central aisle that led to Galactic Kid Council H.Q., stood Boa Hancock, Lord Business on his mech-legs, the High President of Osiris, Ardor, and Queen Zaádéa with President Linkyn on her shoulder. Her daughter, Lia stood beside her with Minksman on her shoulder.

Nebula exchanged smiles with Bender and Vweeb before the three began their march down the aisle. Thousands of aliens cheering their hero, the one who saved Galaxia, Nebula D. Winkiebottom. Nebula only felt shy, taking in all these cheers, while Vweeb blew kisses to his fans and Bender did a dance that involved shaking his rear. Nebula could also see Tallest Zim, King Croacus, and Chancellor Phyronix with Councilman Jeremy at the audience’s end.

Lord Business, who stood tall as Hancock with his mech-legs, grinned and put an arm around the Amazon, who became angered as she kicked him away. Team Nebula walked up the stairway and stood with the rulers before the H.Q.’s entrance. She looked at all of them as they sported smiles, then faced Cheren with a smile that said ‘You’ve been spared for now.’

It was then that a Frisbee hit the back of Nebula’s head, and she turned to see Tronta snickering in the audience. She held the Frisbee and stared at it with a playful smirk. She faced the audience and declared, “KIDS NEXT DOOR:” she threw the Frisbee far across the crowd, “RUUUULLLLEZ!” And everybody scrambled to catch it. (End song.)

**New GKND H.Q.**

The long awaited 3rd-anniversary party has finally begun. KND operatives from all around partied nonstop, not just for their organization, but for another grand victory in KND’s history.

“Oooohh look at meeee.” Pollyx moaned as he wore the broken Dimensionator. “I am the Ghost of Emperor Tachyoooon, ruler of the Cragmites. Submit to my rule or have your faaace glued to your rear.”

“Ugh! Don’t remind me!” Haylee gagged.

“DAD, be careful with that thing!” Sollyx cautioned.

“What, they said it was broken.” He replied as he fiddled around with the buttons. “This thing couldn’t warp 3 light-years of its own- GYAAAAAHHH!” He was immediately electrocuted by the device before it launched an electric sphere.

“Aah!” Dillon saw it coming for Vanellope, so he pushed her out of the way. “Phew. You alright, Vanel? Vanel?” The Program girl had a rather silly, dizzy expression as her head listed left to right.

“Peanuts in the popmons, nuggets in the nutmeg, noodles as pastry bakes…” she sang.

“Told you entering Dimentio’s mind would have some side-effects.” Dillon said.

“That shouldn’t be hard to fix!” Sollyx said. “If I just make a few tweaks to her memory, she should be good as-”

_“No.”_

They gasped when the Zoni appeared above them. “What are they?!” Chris exclaimed.

“The Zoni.” Dillon glared.

_“She comes with us now. Her time has come.”_

“Lollies and gift cakes, STROODLES and milkshakes!-” Vanel remained clueless as the Zoni lifted her with their power.

“Hey, give her back!” Chris demanded as he tossed fireballs, but they appeared protected by a barrier. The operatives could only watch helplessly as they flew up higher. In a flash, the Zoni disappeared before their eyes, and Vanellope went with them.

“Where did… she go?” Aurora asked.

“The Zoni have something planned for her.” Pollyx replied. “I don’t know what… but she’s gone to fulfill her destiny.”

 _“Beep. Boop.”_ Mr. Game-and-Watch looked at the glass ceiling, unseen sadness on his face. The 11 friends looked up at the starry heavens with wonder. After their hardest mission was complete… Vanellope still had destiny. And they may, as well. They didn’t know what the future held. Their parents had so many hard adventures, but they never seemed to end. They knew, without a doubt, their journeys weren’t over. And maybe, their real challenge had yet to begin. All they could do now… was enjoy the party. (Play “Let’s Celebrate” from _Ratchet: Tools of Destruction_.)

 

**_Operation: NECSUS_ : Cast:**

**Akiko Koumoto as _Nebula D. Winkiebottom_ and _Dimentia Z. Winkiebottom_**

**Phil LaMarr as _Jerome D. Winkiebottom_ and _Jeremy_**

**Rickey Collins as _Vweeb_ and _Kweeb_**

**John DiMaggio as _Bender Bending Rodríguez_**

The King Family finally boarded their ship and left the Great Clock, eager to return to Earth. Sigmund excitedly waved at them before continuing to sweep the floor.

**MaKayla Rogers as _MaKayla King_ and _Haylee Gilligan_**

**Scott McGregor as _Jagar King_ and _George King_**

**Rachael MacFarlane as _Aurora Uno_**

Liaziana and Makava tried desperately to strike Vweeb and Minksman with their swords, but the tiny Kateenians were swift at dodging. Makava had Vweeb cornered and readied to crush him, but was surprised when a force kept her foot from stomping. This force was Vweeb, who pushed her back before shooting upward and slamming her in the face. Makava went sliding back along the ground as Vweeb stood proudly. 

**Tara Strong as _Sheila Frantic_ , _Makava_ , _Ava_ , _Liaziana_ , and _Queen Zaádéa_**

**Kerry Williams as _Haruka Dimalanta_**

**Zoe Slusar as _Mason Dimalanta_**

**Greg Cipes as _Dillon York_**

**Lauren Tom as _Vanellope von Schweetz_ and _Kirie Beatles_**

**Dee Bradley Baker as _Minksman_ and _President Linkyn_**

**Grey DeLisle as _Chimney_ and _Big Mom_**

**Brittney Karbowski as _Apis_ and _Mocha_**

**Cherami Leigh as _Aisa_ , _April Goldenweek_ , and _Sugar_**

**Sharon Mann as _Cheren Uno_**

**Jennifer Hale as _Panini Drilovsky_**

Mom was in the hospital to rest while her back healed. However, the doctor came in with a special cast that enclosed around her waist and allowed her to stand, though weakly. Daddy Masterson stood in the doorway, being the one who paid for it as he tipped his hat.

**Andy Morris as _Percival Tachyon_**

**Rob Paulsen as _Dimentio Z. Winkiebottom_**

**Tress MacNeille as _Mom_**

**Pam Ferris as _Agatha Trunchbull_**

Space Dandy brought Vendra and Neftin to the Alien Registration Center, looking snarkily at the woman across the desk. The two criminals got in the scanner as she examined their structure, then accepted them as new aliens. Dandy was soon throwing his pile of money around the air in excitement.

**Nika Futterman as _Vendra Prog_**

**Fred Tatasciore as _Neftin Prog_**

**Robin Atkin Downes as _Captain Slag_**

**Wally Wingert as _Lord Business_ and _Rusty Pete_**

**Dave Boat as _Soldier_ and _Drophyds_**

Carol Masterson peacefully dangled her feet from the swing in the park. When she saw Sector V’s C.O.O.L.-B.U.S. coming in for landing, she joyously ran to greet her Maseyfairy.

Their ship also passed over Marine Frantic’s shipyard. She looked up from fixing a ship when a paper drifted down to her. A slim, muscular gentleman with a slight black beard, long hat, and hammer walked over as Marine examined the paper. It showed her image on the wanted poster, and her bounty of 7 million. Marine grinned and waved at the C.O.O.L.-B.U.S., and the man kept a serious look as a pigeon flew onto his shoulder.

**Mark Hamill as _Caesar Clown_**

**Robert McCollum as _Don Quixote Doflamingo_ and _Doflamingo, Jr._**

**Grant Goodeve as _John Fett_ and _Wolf O’Donnell_**

**Jamie King as _Aurorra Bane_**

**Travis Willingham as _Daddy Masterson_**

**Ian Sinclair as _Dandy_**

Percival Tachyon finally awakened in his new dimension, curiously looking around. It wasn’t long before he met a very tall Irken empress with bright blue eyes. The two shared in their hatred for the Galactic Kids Next Door and became the new King and Queen of that planet’s species.

**Richard Steven Horvitz as _Pollyx_ , _Sollyx_ , _Zoni_ , and _Zim_**

**Nolan North as _Sigmund_**

**Rajia Baroudi as _IRIS Supercomputer_ and _Doris_**

**Mike Henry as _Cleveland Brown_ and _Consuela_**

**Dan Green as _The Man With the Red Eye_**

**OC characters owned by Mika Works and Gameverse Studios.**

**With association from Insomniac Games, Nintendo, Comedy Central, and Cartoon Network.**

**Original _KND_ show owned by Tom Warburton.**

**Published by Archive of Our Own**

**Presented by Gamewizard2008**

**_Operation: NECSUS_ : _END_**

**You heard loud and clear, folks: _NECSUS_ is finally over. The Into the Nexus Arc of the Big Mom Saga comes to a close, and the story continues. So, what’d you think? I think _NECSUS_ was better than _MASKED_ as far as storyline goes, but _MASKED_ had far superior stages. Heck, the stages in _MASKED_ were so long and great, it greatly outweighed the story element. I could’ve made this story similar to _MASKED_ , but Cheren Uno better represents Link, while Nebula better represents Ratchet, so that’s why this story follows _Ratchet & Clank_. Plus, I really didn’t wanna bother with _MASKED_ ’s exceedingly long stages again. X3 That story is once in a blue moon.**

**But with this story done, we can finally continue with the Big Mom Saga. More specifically, the Big Mom Saga’s finale: _The Great Candied Adventure_. Which, like _DUTCHMAN_ , will be the pirate story of the Nextgen Series. I’ll also make a shrinking story starring Sector W7 on deviantART, so check for that. So this has been _Operation: NECSUS_ , and I will see you for _The Great Candied Adventure_! Until then, see you later!**

**…**

**…**

**…**

**…I still miss Captain Slag. :(**


End file.
